Nightmare007 wrote:
Hi mike,
Can you explain me when to use "numerous" and "the numbers of .."
thank you
Dear
Nightmare007,
I'm happy to respond.
The word "
numerous" is roughly synonymous with "
many," but "
numerous" is a little more intense.
a)
There are many stars in the nighttime sky. = ordinary, factual statement
b)
There are numerous stars in the nighttime sky. = a little more powerful and emphatic about the size of the number
As with the word "
many," the word "
numerous" is only used for countable items. The comparative form is "
more numerous."
c) "
The stars in the nighttime sky are more numerous than one can imagine."
The phrases "
numbers of" or "
the numbers of" are less common ways of saying "
many." Of course, in the singular, "
the number of X" highlights how many X's we have, for any countable X. Confusingly, "
a number of" also can mean "
many."
d)
Many employees have come to the HR office to complain.
e)
Numerous employees have come to the HR office to complain. = more emphatic
f)
A number of employees have come to the HR office to complain. = a bit colloquial, less likely to appear on the GMAT
All three of these, with slightly different emphases, mean more or less the same thing. All three of these are noun-modifiers, modifying a noun, so the focus is on that noun. As soon as we introduce the definite article, "
the," the focus shift more to the number itself, and it makes more sense for the focus to be on the magnitude of the quantity.
g)
The numbers of employees coming to the HR office to complain have been overwhelming."
h)
The sheer quantity of employees coming to the HR office to complain has been overwhelming."
Both of those are equivalent, a statement about the size of the number. In the singular, "the number" is just more factual and ordinary:
i)
The number of pieces on chessboard, at the start of a game, is 32.
j)
The number of days in February is less than that of any other month.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)