I live and work in the UK, but when I use this phrase " a bunch of" just most people stare at me weirdly. Why? They prefer loads of or lots of, but I rather prefer “a bunch of”.
A friend of mine who is a native American always use it. Is there any slight difference between these phrases?
Cheers.
“A bunch of” is very informal, even in American speech. It’s a bit childish sounding, although adults also use it.
The British probably don’t understand you, or they may be a little intolerant of dialect variation.
Yes, that’s very informal. And that’s why we say a bunch of bananas.
Thanks, According to it, do you advise guys, to stop using it? I got used to it very much it will be difficult to ignore this phrase. I’ve never heard it from children, I have an American friend as above mentioned who uses it at all the time.
Thanks again.
Saying “a bunch of bananas” is different from saying “a bunch of people”, because “bunch” is the usual word used for a cluster of bananas, but it’s not the normal word used for a group of people.
It’s up to you what you do. If you want to speak “friendly” sounding American English, go right ahead and use it. If the strange looks from the British bother you, then don’t use it. Just don’t use the expression in court in front of a judge, for example, whether in the UK or the US.
Hi Take_It_Easy,
To me ‘a bunch of’ sounds derogatory when used to describe people. If you’re talking about for example a company that has overcharged you, you could in anger say: They’re just a bunch of crooks. Again when talking of people you consider particularly stupid, you could say ‘a bunch of idiots.’
Alan
Yes, it can sound derogatory, or it can sound friendly or childish, depending on the context.
Since no one touched on the thread title, I’d like to share my view on it.
“A bunch of” means “a few” or “not a lot of”, whereas “loads of” means “a lot of”.
Hi,
That’s a new interpretation, which I hadn’t heard before - that ‘bunch of’ suggests ‘a few’. That reminds me of the expression ‘to give someone a bunch of fives’. And that means to punch someone using your fist that has five digits.
Alan
haha Alain, it’s clear again there are different ways to speak English. Then I will use it more watchfully than before. It may sound sily when some one use it for people. So Shouldn’t I say " a bunch of people" but I can use it for objects, such as " a bunch of pubs, or a bunch of tunes, a bunch of apples" Am I right? Thanks again. It’s really interesting to discuss about it.