A Lot and Lot
2022-03-12
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Mohamed about "a lot" and "lot."
2Please explain the difference between ''lot'' and ''a lot''.
3I'm usually confused when I have to choose among them.
4Dear Mohamed,
5Thank you for making a comment on our website!
6Firstly, let us look at the noun "lot".
7By itself, "lot" can refer to a set or group of things that can be counted.
8Here is an example:
9The company shipped 1000 lots of the vaccine yesterday.
10We can also use "a lot" as an adverb.
11Like other adverbs, it affects the verb in a statement.
12This use of "a lot" can mean "often" or "to a greater degree."
13Compare these examples:
14I go to Indonesian restaurants a lot.
15In the above example, "a lot" talks about the number of times I go to Indonesian restaurants.
16Their noodles are a lot spicier than other restaurants.
17In this example, the noodles have a greater degree of taste compared to noodles elsewhere.
18And finally, we have "a lot of" and "lots of."
19Both include the preposition "of", and we use them as quantifiers.
20We use them to refer to a quantity of something without being exact.
21These expressions can be used in the same way and there is no difference in meaning,
22though "lots of" might be considered by some to be more informal.
23Note that in these examples "a lot of" and "lots of" come before noncount nouns.
24They are referring to the same thing.
25In the summer you should drink a lot of water.
26Doctors advise us to drink lots of water.
27I hope this helps you in using these expressions, Mohamed!
28What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
29And that's Ask a Teacher.
30I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Mohamed about "a lot" and "lot." 2Question: 3Please explain the difference between ''lot'' and ''a lot''. I'm usually confused when I have to choose among them. 4Mohamed 5Answer: 6Dear Mohamed, 7Thank you for making a comment on our website! 8Lot 9Firstly, let us look at the noun "lot". By itself, "lot" can refer to a set or group of things that can be counted. Here is an example: 10The company shipped 1000 lots of the vaccine yesterday. 11A lot 12We can also use "a lot" as an adverb. Like other adverbs, it affects the verb in a statement. This use of "a lot" can mean "often" or "to a greater degree." Compare these examples: 13I go to Indonesian restaurants a lot. 14In the above example, "a lot" talks about the number of times I go to Indonesian restaurants. 15Their noodles are a lot spicier than other restaurants. 16In this example, the noodles have a greater degree of taste compared to noodles elsewhere. 17A lot of and lots of 18And finally, we have "a lot of" and "lots of." Both include the preposition "of", and we use them as quantifiers. We use them to refer to a quantity of something without being exact. These expressions can be used in the same way and there is no difference in meaning, though "lots of" might be considered by some to be more informal. 19Note that in these examples "a lot of" and "lots of" come before noncount nouns. They are referring to the same thing. 20In the summer you should drink a lot of water. 21Doctors advise us to drink lots of water. 22I hope this helps you in using these expressions, Mohamed! 23What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 24And that's Ask a Teacher. 25I'm Faith Pirlo. 26Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 27________________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29confused - adj. unable to understand clearly 30noodle - n. a ribbon-shaped pasta 31spicy - adj. having strong flavors 32Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.