not much of

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Are these sentences both correct:

[color=indigo]1-He is not much of a chess player.
[color=red]2-He is not so much of a chess player.

I have heard “1”, but am not sure if “2” is used.

Gratefully,
Navi.

2

Hi,

(1) is fine but (2) is only half finished. This sort of sentence would be possibly along these lines: He is not so much of a chess player as more of a card player.

Alan

3

He is not so much of a chess player as of a card player.

What about this sentence, Alan?

4

I think you need ‘more’ to balance the sentence.

5

Does it mean that

  1. he is more a card player than a chess player? or
  2. he does not play chess so well (or much?) as he does card?
6

Alan,

  1. You’re not much of a help.
  2. You’re not much of a help to me.
  3. You’re not so much of a help.
  4. You’re not so much of a help to me.
    Please give me the correct meaning of those sentences.
7

Beeesneees,
Could you please help me?

8

#1 just means that the other person is not being very helpful/useful (either they are trying to help but failing, or they are not even trying). #2 is the same except it explictly says that the other person is not being helpful to the speaker.

#3 and #4 could mean that the other person is not so much of a help as someone else (who is implied by the context), or could mean the same as #1/#2 with a slight nuance of moderation, resignation, disappointment, or other feeling.

9

I’ve heard “not so much” used a LOT more in the last five years as in the prior fifty.
Someone will say, “Ernest is a hard worker; his wife not so much” as a way of expressing acute dissatisfaction without sounding like a whiny SOB.