When should I use 'number of' vs 'amount of' in my report about survey results?
I'm writing a report about some survey results and I'm confused about whether to use "number of" or "amount of" in certain sentences. For example, should I say, "The number of participants was 50," or "The amount of participants was 50"? Also, in another part, I want to mention, "The amount of information we collected was large," but I'm unsure if that's correct.
I've seen both "number of" and "amount of" used in different places, but I'm not sure what the actual rule is. Is there a simple way to know which one to use? Thanks!
Context:
Academic writing, American English
What to Know
| What to Know | Why It Matters | Example | Quick Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| If not ("information"), use amount . | 'number of' and 'amount of' in my report about survey results are not interchangeable because each fits a different meaning or usage context. | I used "'number of'" because it matched the meaning in my sentence. | Does this wording match my intended meaning in this sentence? |
| Writers often treat 'number of' and 'amount of' in my report about survey results as interchangeable even when context and meaning differ. | This helps you choose wording by meaning instead of surface form. | I used "'amount of' in my report about survey results" because the context required. | Did I choose this form for meaning, not because it looked familiar? |
3 Answers
To choose between 'number of' and 'amount of', use this simple pattern:
- 'Number of' is for things you can count individually (countable nouns).
- 'Amount of' is for things you can't count individually (uncountable nouns).
Examples:
Correct: "The number of responses was impressive." (You can count responses.)
Incorrect: "The amount of responses was impressive."
Correct: "We were surprised by the amount of feedback." (Feedback is uncountable.)
Incorrect: "We were surprised by the number of feedback."
Practice:
- Try using both phrases with new nouns from your report. Ask: Can I count the items one by one (responses, participants)? If yes, use number of. If not (data, information), use amount of.
Quick tip: When you catch yourself using one of these phrases, double-check—can you add an 's' to the noun? If yes ("participants"), use number. If not ("information"), use amount.
When deciding between 'number of' and 'amount of', ask yourself: Can I count each unit separately?
- If yes, use 'number of.'
- If no (the thing is a mass or a quantity without discrete units), use 'amount of.'
For example:
- "The number of completed surveys exceeded our expectations." (Surveys are countable.)
- "The amount of interest in the survey was surprising." (Interest is uncountable.)
Practice tip: After writing a sentence, underline the noun following 'number of' or 'amount of.' Can you list them one by one? If so, confirm 'number of' is used. If not, check for 'amount of.'
Feedback: If you wrote "The amount of participants," revise to "The number of participants." If you wrote "The number of information," switch to "The amount of information."
The distinction between 'number of' and 'amount of' relies on whether the noun is countable or uncountable. Look at these comparisons:
- "There was a large number of voters in the election." (You can count individual voters.)
- "There was a large amount of enthusiasm at the event." (Enthusiasm can't be counted individually.)
A good self-check is to see if you could use numbers directly (e.g., "fifty voters" is possible; "fifty enthusiasm" is not.)
Try this: Take sentences from your draft and swap the phrases: "The number of data points..." vs. "The amount of data points..." Then, decide which sounds natural or use the rule: countable = number, uncountable = amount.
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