much brains/brain

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:36 pm

Which would you expect to hear, or which would you use?

He's a man of much brains.
He's a man of much brain.

JuanTwoThree · Post by **JuanTwoThree** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:44 am

I can't say I care for either. But in your context as well as in mine:

You don't need much brains to do this.

You don't need much brain to do this.

The first sounds more like kidneys: a bit butcher-like*.

The second sounds more abstract.

* I don't mean more butch

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:23 am

I thought brains was better: this job requires brains. This job requires much stamina, much patience, much brains. Maybe much sounds strange: this job requires a lot of stamina, patience, and brains.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:34 am

Maybe much sounds strange: this job requires a lot of stamina, patience, and brains.

Does "much" sound strange with "brain"?

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:36 am

And does "a bear of little brain" sound odd to anyone here?

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:56 am

"A bear of little brains" would be the odd one - it would sound like he had two small brains in his skull!

I agree with Juan that You don't need much brains to do this sounds like a recipe.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:59 am

lolwhites wrote:
I agree with Juan that You don't need much brains to do this sounds like a recipe.

To me too, but apparently AmEng speakers use the plural form

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:22 pm

How about these?

a man of much courage
a man of much spunk
a woman of much intellect
a woman of much influence
a man of much political experience
a woman of much resolution
a topic of much debate
a boy of much promise
a girl of much beauty
a mother of much character
a woman of much consequence
a boy of much energy
a statement of much emphasis
a decision of much hope
a river of much water
a time of much change
a day of much light
an issue of much ado
a time of much import

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:24 am

To me too, but apparently AmEng speakers use the plural form

I wondered about that, but I didn't say anything, cause I didn't want to be seen as possessing over such differences again.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:13 am

jotham wrote:
To me too, but apparently AmEng speakers use the plural form
I wondered about that, but I didn't say anything, cause I didn't want to be seen as possessing over such differences again.

Stop whining.