amount 和 number 使用辨析
Comparing the amount of things：
We can compare the amount of things using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest amount.
以上是初中教科书上的句子：我的疑问是，amount用于不可数名词，number用于可数名词，
但是，为什么用英语说"比较东西的数量“时用了amount呢？因为既可能是比较可数名词的数量，也可能比较是不可数名词的数量，
所以，为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数，不加s) or compare the number of things (可数，加s）?
非常不解。
最佳答案 2021-09-11 21:09
牛津词典在amount 词条下的说明：
Amount is most often used with uncountable nouns: an amount of cash/space/material/food It is also sometimes used with countable nouns, especially in spoken or informal English: You're competing with a massive amount of people. However, some people consider that this is not correct and prefer to use number with countable nouns: You're competing with a very large number of people.
所以，教材中使用amount of后接things，并非完全不可接受，只不过是非正式用法而已。其实，为了避嫌，教材编著者可以用quantity取代amount。quantity可以后接可数名词，也可以后接不可数名词。例如《牛津》例句：
The police found a quantity of drugs at his home.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information available.
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其它 1 个回答
1. Comparing the amount of things：（教科书）
We can compare the amount of things using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest amount.
2. 为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数，不加s) or compare the number of things (可数，加s）?（网友）
书上出现错误，而网友本人也有错误。
修改如下（见黑体和破折号后面的内容）：
1. Comparing the number or the amount of something：
We can compare the number or the amount of something using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest number or amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest number or amount.
2. 为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数，不加s) or compare the number of things (可数，加s）?
——thing 是可数名词，能零冠词并使用单数吗？把 thing 改为 something ，复合不定代词 something，指代可数名词或不可数名词，均可。
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