Rule: Count nouns must be modified by count quantifiers.
Examples of errors:
(1) A great deal of people aren't able to go to university.
(2) There aren't very much buildings like that one.
(3) They try to show their feelings by presenting far too much gifts.
(4) He made so much mistakes that he got a bad mark.
(5) I can travel through an English-speaking country without too much problems.
(6) It would require as much men as regular armies but it wouldn't cost as much.
(7) I have much more connections with Mainz than with Kassel.
(8) I had a little difficulties with this microphone.
(9) Our standard of living is so high that much presents are bought at Christmas time.
(10) Such a pupil doesn't have too much difficulties expressing himself.
Quantifiers can be classified in three types, according to whether they can modify count nouns, mass nouns or both. Count quantifiers are those that can modify only count nouns, e.g.:
I have(a) few/fewer/the fewest/several/many/a number of pencils/money.
Much, which occurs in most of the examples of errors given above, is a non-count quantifier; it can modify only non-count (mass) nouns, e.g.:
I have(a) little/less/the least/a great deal of/a large amount of/much *pencils/money.
Quantifiers which can modify count or non-count nouns include the following:
I have a lot/lots/plenty of pencils/money.
It should also -be pointed out that although both much and manv occur assertively (cf. (7), (9)), they are more formal in tone than the other alternatives, e.g.:
Much time was lost.
Many men died.
are more formal than
A lot of time was lost.
Lots of men died.
In non-assertive (i.e. interrogative and negative) contexts much and many are the usual forms, e.g.-:
I don't have many pencils.
Do you have much money?
One of the other (assertive) quantifiers in these (nonassertive) contexts would have a slightly different sense; compare:
I don't have much money.
= I only have a little money.
I don't have a lot of money.
= I have some money (but not a lot).
In comparative constructions with too, so and as (cf. (3)-(6), (10)) only much or many--not lots, a great deal of, etc.--are possible, e.g.:
He has too many pencils.
He has too much money.
*He has too lots of pencils.