how many is "a couple of" ?

Question

When can we say - a couple of vs. many?There are 3 ~ 4 (not counted, so can not be exact) tables in the restaurant - we say, there are a couple of tables in the restaurant.There are ~ 100 seats in the theater, we don't say, there are a couple of seats in the theater, right?So where is the cutoff for using a couple of, as opposed to, many?Thanksps. can we use "a couple of" in writing (formal)?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
When can we say - a couple of vs. many? Sorry, it's just not something that is clearly and precisely defined.
Here are a couple of things we can say.
Tom and Mary are a couple of nice people.
Honestly, Officer, I just had a couple of beers.
He just won the election by a couple of votes.

There are 3 ~ 4 (not counted, so can not be exact) tables in the restaurant - we say, there are a couple of tables in the restaurant. Yes.

There are ~ 100 seats in the theater, we don't say, there are a couple of seats in the theater, right?Right.

So where is the cutoff for using a couple of, as opposed to, many?

Thanks

ps. can we use "a couple of" in writing (formal)? Not usually.

Best wishes, Clive

how many is "a couple of" ?

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