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Guest Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

A lot and lots

What is the difference?


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Top answer

I was just about to rattle off an answer to this one when I realised I didn't actually know! At least, not definitively. I use them more or less interchangeably.

— Rommie

  • I was just about to rattle off an answer to this one when I realised I didn't actually know!
  • At least, not definitively.
  • I use them more or less interchangeably.
  • To my mind, "lots of walnuts" implies more walnuts than "a lot of walnuts", but since neither version accurately conveys the actual amount, the difference may well exist merely in the thoughts of the speaker.
  • Anyway, both are plural - which is odd.
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4 Answers
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I was just about to rattle off an answer to this one when I realised I didn't actually know! Emotion: smile. At least, not definitively.

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The word "lot" is not often used in the singular today, but it happens occasionally. For example, where I work, we process batches of product. Each batch that gets the same processing is called a "lot". It is being used to mean "group". In this case, it is singular.

Maybe "a lot" and "lots" were an evolution of the word "lot" that was only used in the singular. If you think of "lot
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What really hurts my brain is this: what part of speech is "a lot" in the following sentence, and why do you need an article:

"I love her a lot!"

Isn't this a valid sentence? An adverb that is two words long...? odd!

Of course, I have no evidence for any of this.
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a lot of = lots ofEmotion: smile

A : How much you love her ?

B : I love her a lot. ( Then ' a lot ' fits the adverb criteria )
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