English Reference

00 / Grammar and structure

number vs amount

Number is for things you can count individually; amount is for bulk quantities or mass.

01 / Side by side

  • number

    Quantity of separate, countable items.

    A large number of students signed up for the weekend seminar.

  • amount

    Quantity of an uncountable mass.

    We need to reduce the amount of sugar in our daily diet.

02 / Watch out

  • Wrong: The amount of people in the lobby is growing quickly.Right: The number of people in the lobby is growing quickly.

  • Wrong: We spent a large number of money on the new equipment.Right: We spent a large amount of money on the new equipment.

03 / Remember

Number = Nouns you can count. Amount = All the rest.

04 / Quick check

Fill the gap with one of the two options.

  1. 1.

    The of active users on the group chat increased after the latest update.

  2. 2.

    A massive of data is required to stream high-definition movies on a mobile device.

  3. 3.

    The total of work required for this project is overwhelming.

  4. 4.

    A small of football fans waited outside the stadium to see the team bus arrive.

  5. 5.

    The of cars on the road has doubled since last year.

05 / More like this

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