"too much of"

The Confidence Corner

The Mistake: When speaking about "so much" or "too much" of something, English speakers in India often use phrases such as:

• She wasted too much of time yesterday.
• I found so much of information in that book.
• Vijay spent too much of money.

Using "of" after such phrases is NOT proper English. Avoid it.

The Correction: Speak correctly and with confidence by omitting the word "of" when it is followed by only a plural or uncountable noun:

• She wasted too much time yesterday.
• I found so much information in that book.
• Vijay spent too much money.

Only use the phrases "so much of" and "too much of" when they are followed by words that define the plural or uncountable noun (whose time?, which information?, what money?):

• She wasted too much of our time yesterday.
• I found so much of the information that I needed in that book.
• Vijay spent too much of the money he had saved.