a bunch of [+ countable / uncountable nouns]

A

Amstellodamois

Senior Member
Southern India
French - France
Hi!

I've two questions about this expression.

  • I've seen many times "bench" instead of "bunch". Is that correct? Does it have the same meaning?
  • Do you use a singular or a plural behind it (google returns quite few answers for "a bunch of them" compared to "a bunch of it")?
Thanks for your help.
 
    • Perhaps I have missed something (I often do) but 'bench' in the link you gave is referring to a seat in a public place. It has nothing to do with 'bunch'. Moreover, they do not have the same meaning at all as any dictionary will testify.
     
    If you mean the "Bench of memory" headline, then the article itself explains what it means.

    A bench has been installed for people to sit on at the side of the road, with a brass plaque affixed to it, commemorating slaves and their history.

    "Bench of memory" means that it is a bench on which the memory/memorial is recorded.
     
    I didn't read the article, I should have. I apologize.
    I think I've heard "a bench of" only in the mouth of non-natives, probably making a mistake so.


    Then, there is still my question about singular/plural :)
     
    If "it" refers to a collective noun, then it can be singular or plural.

    1. I have a bunch of paper.
    2. I have a bunch of papers.

    The meanings are very close but the emphasis is a little different. In #1 you are emphasizing a large quantity of paper and quantity is singular. It #2 you are emphasizing many separate sheets of paper which is plural.

    If "it" refers to something singular, then it does not make sense to use "bunch" for one thing.
     
    Most usually "bunch" is followed by a plural. Even a "bunch of paper" sounds strange to me, but I would say, I think, I have a bunch of work to do before I can leave town. Never a "bench" though!
     
    Lots of uses of "bunch" are just colloquial. The only non-colloquial examplle that comes to mind is "a bunch of flowers." The only "uncountable" noun that I can think of that I would use with "bunch" would be "work" and that's also pretty colloquial. You could say "I've been to a bunch of cities" as a colloquial equivalent to "I've been to a lot of cities."
     
    I think there are AE/BE differences in this area. Each time I hear "bunch" followed by an uncountable, the speaker is from North America. I've heard "a bunch of stuff" a few times.
     
    Last edited:
    To me, "a bunch" is more than "a lot" and works the same way re singular and plural: a bunch of red tape, a bunch of politicians, etc.

    But just as some things come in actual lots, some things come in literal bunches: a bunch of grapes, a bunch of bananas, a bunch of Brussels sprouts, etc.
     
    I think you need your answer to come from AmE speakers. In BrE, "a bunch of" can only be followed by a plural. It isn't equivalent to "a lot of".
     
    Last edited:
    In my IELTS listening exam, a question came to me and I wrote "Punch of Flowers", as I heard it. Although I was aware of its spelling before the exam but perhaps the stress of the test confused me and let me mistaken in this ugly way... or may be because I heard the b sound like P..
    So, anyone please be careful for such faults.
     
    I forgot to say that I would not use "a bunch of" to mean "a whole lot of"/"a great lot of" in formal writing. It seems to be common in some circles but not others, and it may be regional. It is most common in a slang context, e.g. "a bunch of bull" (a lot of boloney/malarkey), and in exaggerations, e.g. "a bunch of his cronies" (an army of his cohorts).
     
    The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says that the use of "a [whole] bunch of" meaning "a lot" is mainly US informal. I think it is correct when it identifies this use as "informal".

    On the other hand, the OED has this entertaining example in which bunch meaning "a lot" is used with a non-count noun in BrE.
    a1784 JOHNSON in Boswell (1816) IV. 151, I am glad the Ministry is removed. Such a bunch of imbecility never disgraced a country.​
     
    Maybe when you thought you heard a "bench" it was a "pinch" which is a small amount.

    In other countries for a "bunch" or a "lot" or "lots" I've also heard "heaps" (Australia), "loads" (United Kingdom) and "stacks" (South Africa).
     
    There is a definition of collective noun in the WordReference dictionary.

    It gives a link to the definition in Dictionary.com:
    a noun, as herd, jury, or clergy, that appears singular in formal shape but denotes a group of persons or objects.
    ​
    Dictionary.com also has Usage note with a fuller explanation.
     
    Going back to the original question, I wonder whether bench of flowers is a phonetic phenomenon. Most people from the Midlands and North of England naturally pronounce bunch as /bʊnʧ/. Many such people, trying to talk posh, will come out with the hypercorrect form /benʧ/.
     
    se16teddy said:
    Going back to the original question, I wonder whether bench of flowers is a phonetic phenomenon. Most people from the Midlands and North of England naturally pronounce bunch as /bʊnʧ/. Many such people, trying to talk posh, will come out with the hypercorrect form /benʧ/.
    Click to expand...
    Maybe that's why I heard it so.

    Last question: does "quite a bunch" sound weird to you?
    (like in "I've seen quite a bunch of nice cities around Europe")
     
    I think "quite a bunch" sounds ok in everyday speech. It just adds more emphasis, which you might want on certain occasions. It seems to imply that it's a particularly large bunch.
    "I don't think the cities in Europe are very interesting." "Actually, I've seen quite a bunch of nice cities around Europe!"
     
    As an American who quite often uses slang, I would use 'bunch of' with singular or plural nouns.

    "You'll get a whole bunch of love from these folks."

    "I found a bunch of spelling mistakes in my post."

    I might also make bunch plural:

    "There were bunches of people gathered around" (this would indicate that the people were loosely arranged into various groups or bunches"
     
    An American was driving through a small town and noticed three dogs (then a fourth one) running and barking at his car. He said: "Look at these dogs. A bunch of them here." Now, is three or four of something enough to be referred to as "bunch"?

    1674498372602.png


    Then I was watching a Canadian who came across three plastic chairs strewn in the snow. He again referred to three units only as "bunch" saying: "Guys, look at these chairs. Isn't it interesting? A whole bunch of them"

    1674498598055.png
     
    zaffy said:
    Now, is three or four of something enough to be referred to as "bunch"?
    Click to expand...
    "A bunch of" just means "a lot of". Apparently the speakers thought the number of each item was considerable, regardless of what the actual number was. It's a bit subjective too: I don't have a car, so for me a person who owns 4 has a bunch of them. But for Jeremy Clarkson, who owns around 30, that is hardly a bunch.
    zaffy said:
    Then I was watching a Canadian who came across three plastic chairs strewn in the snow
    Click to expand...
    I see four chairs. ;)
     
    Both seem fine to me. Bunch = group of. Whatever dictionaries may tell you, bananas come in bunches (hands, indeed!), and there might only be three or four of them. A bunch of kids hanging about on the street might only consist of three or four people.



    The others are animals. :)
     
    A: What did you buy?
    B: A bunch of stuff.

    This conversation sounds unlikely in BrE, because of "a bunch of" used uncountably, right?
     
    I can't follow your argument, but my view is that 'a bunch of' isn't used much in BrE, except for flowers and certain fruit like grapes.
    That said, I can't see any reason for not saying 'a bunch of stuff'. My personal equivalent is probably 'a ton of' or 'tons of'.
    "We have tons of books."
    "She spent tons of money on tons of junk."
     
    And does this dictionary strike you as odd in BrE? "We have a bunch of cheese."

    Well, we have no context provided but we take it to mean that they have a lot of cheese, right?
     
    elroy said:
    I find it totally idiomatic. I say "a bunch of [countable or uncountable noun]" all the time.
    Click to expand...
    "A bunch of" can mean "a few" or "a large amount of" in AmE. So how would you understand this example?
    "There was a bunch of teenagers in the gym." - A few or a lot of them?

    I guess now it only means a lot of, right?
    "There was a whole bunch of teenagers in the gym."
     
    There were a bunch of teenagers at the gym.

    I think it would depend on context, tone of voice, etc.
    Sometimes it doesn't matter for what the speaker is trying to say.

    And yes, "a whole bunch" means "a lot."
     
    elroy said:
    There were a bunch of teenagers at the gym.
    Click to expand...
    Hmm, I thought I needed to agree the verb with the singular "bunch".

    I guess this example does need "was", doesn't it? There was a bunch of bananas on the table.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top