Learn English – As much as – as many as

countabilityexam-questions

Can anyone help me with this question about Error Identification.

As many as 50 percent of the income from motion pictures produced in the United States comes from the films abroad.

The key is "As many as". Explanation for this is that "As much as" should be used here because "income" is an uncountable noun. Am I right?

Best Answer

Income can be countable or uncountable depending on the context and use.

The salaries of both partners amounted to a substantial family income

or

Taking into consideration the incomes of the two brothers, the loan company agreed to give them a mortgage.

But this is beside the point because it's not income that's being compared but the percentage.

When talking about percentages, proportions or money in general, we use much

As much as 50%

As much as half of what they earned

As much as a million dollars

On the other hand, we use many when considering individual units:

As many as 50 parts in 100

As many as a million dollar notes were printed that day.

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