404. Lately for Late
(X) Last night I went to bed lately.
(O) Last night I went to bed late.
The opposite of early is late, not lately. Lately means in recent times: I haven't been there lately.
405. Many and Much
(a) Many
(X) My brother doesn't have much books.
(O) My brother doesn't have many books.
(b) Much
(X) Is there many dust in the room?
(O) Is there much dust in the room?
Use many with plural nouns: many books or many boys.
Use much with uncountable nouns: much water or much bread.
Note: In affirmative sentences many and much are generally replaced by a lot (of), a great deal (of),
plenty (of), a good deal (of), a good many (of), a great number (of), a large quantity (of), etc.
406. Few and A Few
(a) Few
(X) Although the question was easy, a few boys were able to answer it.
(O) Although the question was easy, few boys were able to answer it.
(b) A few
(X) Although the question was difficult, few boys were able to answer it.
(O) Although the question was difficult, a few boys were able to answer it.
"Few" means "not many" and emphasises the smallness of the number.
It is dtstinguished from "a few", which means "at least some".