Level Five

Lesson 60
a lot of

An easy way to talk about large and small amounts of anything is to use “a lot of.” 

 

  • There is a lot of information available on the internet. (This is a large amount.) 
  • There’s not a lot of information available on the internet. (This is a small amount.) 
  • There are a lot of things to do during the summer. 
  • He doesn’t have a lot of students in his classroom. 
  • She has a lot of homework to do. 
Notice that these are three separate words: a lot of. To write alot of is incorrect. Of course, this doesn’t matter when speaking. 

a lot of 

60a. There is / are a lot of _______.

A simple yet important way to use “a lot of” is when talking about the existence of things. Unlike the rules for words such as many, much, some, any, few, little, etc., you can always use “a lot of” when talking about large or small amounts, for count or noncount nouns. 

  • The word “tomato” is a count noun. In the plural form, introduce the word  “tomatoes” with “there are.”)
  • There are a lot of tomatoes. (This is a large amount.)  
  • There aren’t a lot of tomatoes. (This is a small amount.) 

The word “snow” is a noncount noun. Use “there is” to introduce the word. 

  • There is a lot of snow. (This is a large amount.) 
  • There isn’t a lot of snow. (This is a small amount.) 
vegetables, basket, vegetable basket-752153.jpg
  • There are a lot of vegetables in the basket.  
pexels-photo-734973-734973.jpg
  • There is a lot of water in the ocean. 

60b. Is there / Are there a lot of _______.

When asking about the existence of things, use “is there” for noncount nouns and “are there” for count nouns. 

  • Is there a lot of work to do today? 
  • Are there a lot of things to do at the park? 
  • Is there a lot of information available on the internet? 
  • Are there a lof of students in the classroom.

Short answers for questions such as these look like this: 

  • A: Is there a lot of traffic in the morning? 
  • B: Yes, there is.  / No, there isn’t. 
  • A: Are there a lot of problems in the world right now? 
  • B: Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t. 
Side view of young Latin American girl in comfortable clothes picking fresh red apples in garden
  • Is there a lot of fruit on this tree?
  • Are there a lot of oranges on this tree? 
A detailed menu board inside a coffee shop displaying various coffee prices and options.
  • A: Are there a lot of choices at this coffee shop? 
  • B: Yes, there are. 

60c. additiononal examples for a lot of

You may us “a lot of” in many different ways when talking about amounts: 

  • I’ve had a lot of trouble with my plumbing lately. 
  • This car doesn’t need a lot of repairs, but it does need some. 
  • We had a lot of fun at the amusement park. 
  • John wants to live in a place where there are a lot of different activities available. 
  • A lot of people are interested in learning more about artificial intelligence. 
  • Sheila didn’t make a lot of money last year. 
  • This is going to require a lot of time. 
  • Do you have a lot of things to do today? 
A teacher reprimands a student caught cheating in a classroom with study materials on the desk.
  • This student got into a lot o trouble for cheating on his assignment.
a person writing on a piece of paper with a pen
  • A lot of people are right-handed. In fact, most people write with their right hand. 

60d. a lot

You can drop “of” and the noun and just use “a lot.” Remember that these are two separate words. 

  • He likes her a lot. 
  • That hurt her a lot. 
  • I’d like to make a larger donation, but I don’t have a lot to give. (In this sentence, an infinitive follows “a lot.”) 
  • They don’t have a lot to do today. 
  • It costs some amount of money to ride on the boat, but it’s not a lot. 

💬

  • A: Do you have a lot to do today? 
  • B: No, not a lot. 
A man surprises his partner with flowers behind his back, symbolizing love and romance.
  • She really loves him a lot. 
a boy watching a movie
  • He laughed a lot during the movie. 
Next: Lesson Sixty-one