For example, I've often heard the phrase, "how much house can one buy?" There are some other examples as well I've seen where a countable noun is used as a quantity rather than a discrete object.
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5Does this answer your question? What is the logic behind uncountable nouns? [See John Lawler's answer (' ... there is also a conventional massification of count nouns, indicating essence. You get a lot of car for your money when you buy X. // After the bomb he ate went off, there was Godzilla all over Times Square. ')]. //// As to why this is done ... quirky pushing of the boundaries.– Edwin AshworthCommented Jan 22, 2022 at 11:39
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Yes, that seems to be what I was looking for. I'm not sure why it's done either but the answer seems to suggest that one talks about the essence of the countable noun, which makes sense with houses and cars and other things.– satvikpendemCommented Jan 22, 2022 at 21:00
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2 Answers
Words like 'much' and 'many' are called determiners (cambridge.org) and are placed before nouns to provide additional information. 'Much' is used for uncountable nouns and 'many' is for countable ones. (gingersoftware.com) While 'House' is considered a countable noun (oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com), keep in mind that "Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the context of the sentence." (grammarly.com)
Because 'house' is singular in your example, it should be treated like an uncountable noun and 'much' should be used. You wouldn't say, "How many house can one buy?"
I think you'll find this is ironic. It's a bit like being 'a bit pregnant'.
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1Maybe in some cases, although ironic isn't the word I'd use (perhaps facetious or in jest). For houses, it's really more of a shorthand for "how much space/level of fanciness/land/etc. can we buy for X amount of money". There's no irony there.– sirideCommented Jan 22, 2022 at 13:58
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