Same word as a lot - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

There is a surprising amount of confusion between these two words (one of which isn’t actually a word) and which is the correct form to appear in your sentences.

Today, I want to go over the difference between a lot vs. alot and show you a few tricks to remember which of them to use. After reading this post, you won’t ever confuse them again.

While it may be common to see the word “alot” throughout Internet commenting or text messaging, the word is never seen in print, and the reason is simple: it isn’t an actual word.

That’s right. If you go to any dictionary, you will not find the word “alot” as an entry, which makes it all the more interesting why the confusion between the two exists.

What Is a “Lot”?

The two-word construction a lot is just that: two separate words. You have the article a and the noun lot. The word lot is defined as, “a large number or amount, a great deal.”

For example,

You just drank a lot of milk with dinner.
Your car uses a lot of gas.
You read a lot of books.

Just as you wouldn’t combine other instances of article + noun constructions in your sentences, adog, acat, ahorse, etc., you don’t combine the two words a lot. There’s no rhyme or reason to why people combine the words, but plenty of people make the mistake.

And no one knows exactly why. It could be that since the word lot isn’t used in many other instances besides the phrase a lot that writers began to think of alot as the actual word being used and not lot.

Other uses of lot, such as a beautiful lot of land or a parking lot, often pale in comparison to the frequency of the phrase a lot, so it’s easy to see how people could get mixed up. Even this, however, isn’t a totally convincing reason because the plural use of lot (lots) is used correctly with great frequency.

Another possible explanation is the similar features the phrase a lot has with the unrelated word allot.

When to Use Allot

Despite sounding similar to—and being spelled similar as—a lot, the single word allot is an unrelated verb. To allot something is “to give or apportion something to someone as a share.”

For example,

Will you please allot me my share of the inheritance?
The lawyer allotted the remained assets from the will.
During the debate, equal time will be allotted to each party.

As I said above, the fact that this word sounds alike and looks similar to a lot may cause some people to confuse the two.

Remember the Difference

Now that we know a lot is the correct choice for our sentences, here are a few tricks to remember this fact.

Something my grade school English teacher would say to help us remember is,

A lot is a lot of words.

Another great trick I learned from a reader of mine is similar to the analogy I gave above about combining words like a dog into adog.

You cannot say “alittle,” so you cannot say “alot.”

Makes sense doesn’t it?

Summary

It’s important to keep track of these two words in your writing because alot vs. a lot are very different.

Alot is not a word.

A lot is the correct choice.

Contents

1 Alot vs. A lot?
2 What Is a “Lot”?
3 When to Use Allot
4 Remember the Difference
5 Summary

Источник

• Categorized under Language | Difference Between Alot and A Lot

Alot Vs A lot

It is quite surprising that many still get confused with regard to the use of ‘a lot’ and ‘alot.’ Yes, if you read through tons of entries in the Internet, you’ll notice that the two words do exist. But to set things straight, there’s no such word as ‘alot.’ There are only two duly recognized words having the nearest spellings and these words are ‘a lot’ and ‘allot.’ So why do people still confuse ‘alot’ from ‘a lot?’

Well, it might just be a matter of a simple typing error when a person accidentally skips the space bar after typing the letter ‘a.’ This doesn’t work on modern day computers though, as typing ‘alot’ will automatically separate ‘a’ from ‘lot.’

Nevertheless, since ‘alot’ is non-existent you must learn when to use the more appropriate notation ‘“ ‘a lot.’ This word (a lot) is known as a phrase (informal) that means a big quantity or portion of something. However, if this is not the word you’re looking for then most probably it is the verb form, like in the sentence ‘Please allot at least 10 minutes of rest time before the athletes resume their exercises.’ In this instance, ‘allot’ means something else (to distribute, divide or assign a part).

‘A lot’ is preferably used to describe non-countable large quantities of matter, whether it be tangible (i.e. ice, sand, water) or intangible (i.e. time). For example, ‘He doesn’t have a lot of free time to further discuss this matter.’ ‘Many’ is another word that is used in the same way as ‘a lot’ but is primarily intended for use in countable materials like notebooks, pens, etc. Hence, it is different when you say ‘She has many pens’ and ‘She has a lot of pens.’ If it’s the first example then you can still count her pens. If it’s the latter then it may be too difficult for you to count because she has lots of pens.

Lastly, ‘a lot’ can also be used like any normal adverbs, ‘He looks a lot like his father.’ If this is the case, then it would mean very often or very much.

So the next time you go on writing and you happen to stumble upon the use of either ‘a lot,’ ‘alot’ or ‘allot,’ first consider the following:

1. ‘A lot’ is an informal phrase that is used to describe a big portion of something.
2. There’s no such word as ‘alot.’ The other notation is ‘allot’ which is actually a verb that means to distribute or divide.
3. ‘A lot’ can also be used as an adverb that means very often or very much.

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, . (2016, June 8). Difference Between Alot and A Lot. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-alot-and-a-lot/.

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, . «Difference Between Alot and A Lot.» Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 8 June, 2016, http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-alot-and-a-lot/.

Written by : Julita.
and updated on 2016, June 8

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Источник

First, I think an adverb can be placed between as…as, not only adjectives.

Yes, I agree. This structure is used to measure and compare things that are of similar in nature. In this construction, the first as functions as an adverb which modifies usually an adjective but sometimes an adverb following it. The second as functions as a preposition when it relates to the following noun or pronoun.

The meal was as good as the conversation.
She spoke as slowly as she could

Second, It seems that as you said, «a lot» can’t stand for «much» because it is a phrase of two words, can it ?

I think the reason is that «a lot» is neither adjective nor adverb, it is usually used with «of».
Please explain more and if possible show some examples.
It is used as an adverb and usually placed at the end.
I enjoy swimming a lot.
Mary seems to travel a lot.

Thank you !

Источник

hello, everyone.
How can I differentiate «a few»,»several»,»a number of»,»a lot of» and «many» ?
If I say «There are ___ people in the classroom.», I think every one can be used. But I guess defferent number of people should correspond to different word.Then how to use them?

Thank you!

It’s fairly subjective.

I’d just say something like:

A few: More than one but less than maybe three to five.

Several: More than two but less than five or so.

A number of: More than two or three. I don’t know if there’s an upper limit on this. One could say «I have a number of options.» could be ten, could be a hundred.

A lot: A large number, maybe like 25 or more (very very subjective)

Many: Same as a lot.

Hard question to answer.

Thank you haywire!
That is really a hard question

A couple is two.
A few is three or four.
Several is up to five.
A number of is indeterminate.
A lot of is more than five and less than infinity.
Many — see a lot.

.,,

I like the explanation by .,, (btw, where are you in Australia? I’ve got tons of questions about AusEng ) but you should keep in mind that many times the criteria to choose the proper word is totally subjective: you forgot to mention «few» which can mean ‘three or four’, but it will be preferred over «a few» depending on the speaker’s intention.

Thank you for all of your explainations!
But I always think «few» means «no» or «nothing», «nobody».Is it means three or four?

A couple is two.
A few is three or four.
Several is up to five.
A number of is indeterminate.
A lot of is more than five and less than infinity.
Many — see a lot.

.,,

For me a couple of is not exactly two. It means approximately 2, sometimes 3, or even 4.

Few is not the same as a few. Few means not many, fewer than expected.

But all the figures given are not hard and fast. They depend on the context. A few countries in the world can be 10 or 20. Several countries can be 40 or 50. And a few stars can be over a hundred.

Smac

But all the figures given are not hard and fast. They depend on the context. A few countries in the world can be 10 or 20. Several countries can be 40 or 50. And a few stars can be over a hundred.

Quite right! A number described as «a few» is always relative to what it might have been (and smaller than it might have been).
There were a few people in the crashed car: probably not more than 4.
There were a few people on the bus: probably not more than 12.
There were a few people in the stadium: probably not more than 100.

I think «several» and «a number of» usually mean «about the number I would expect» and «a lot of» and «many» mean «more than I would expect». Again, the corresponding numbers depend on the context.

So it seems my conception was correct — several means a bit more than a few . I’m afraid they are not interchangeable. Or are they?
N. — Could you lend me a couple of French books?
S. — Sorry, I only have a few and I need them myself.
T. — I’ve got several and I could bring you a couple.

Smac

So it seems my conception was correct — several means a bit more than a few . I’m afraid they are not interchangeable. Or are they?
N. — Could you lend me a couple of French books?
S. — Sorry, I only have a few and I need them myself.
T. — I’ve got several and I could bring you a couple.

Not interchangeable in most situations and your examples are perfect.

Quite right! A number described as «a few» is always relative to what it might have been (and smaller than it might have been).
There were a few people in the crashed car: probably not more than 4.
There were a few people on the bus: probably not more than 12.
There were a few people in the stadium: probably not more than 100.

I think «several» and «a number of» usually mean «about the number I would expect» and «a lot of» and «many» mean «more than I would expect». Again, the corresponding numbers depend on the context.

So can I draw a conclusion that [ «few» means «fewer than what I expexted, but no nothing», «several» and «a number of» usually mean «about the number I would expect» and «a lot of» and «many» mean «more than I would expect». The corresponding numbers depend on the context.]?

Smac

So can I draw a conclusion that [ «few» means «fewer than what I expexted, but no nothing», «several» and «a number of» usually mean «about the number I would expect» and «a lot of» and «many» mean «more than I would expect». The corresponding numbers depend on the context.]?

Yes, that is how I would use these terms, though I am not sure that there is complete agreement about them among native speakers of English.

And I do not mean to imply that by using one of them I would be explicitly referring to my own expectations. I mentioned «expectations» as a way of indicating the sort of number indicated by each of these imprecise expressions, as already suggested by viera.

Thank you, and I think i can understand what you mean.

.

Several: More than two but less than five or so.

.

Is ‘several’ only about a quantity of someting (up to 5) or about anything else?
These sentences are from a test. The student must choose between ‘several’ and ‘some’:

1.-Have you got only one picture of your son?
— No, I’ve got (some, several). You can take one of them.

2. There are (some, several) theatres in this city and they are very good.

What does the student have to be guided by choosing between ‘some’ and several? There is no further context, just these sentences.

PaulQ

I’ve followed the links and my conclusion is as follows:

A: Have you got only one picture of your son?
B: No, I’ve got several. You can take one of them.

B has 2-5 pictures, but he is not sure about the exact number.

A: Have you got only one picture of your son?
B: No, I’ve got some. You can take one of them.

B has some photos. They are more than 5.

The same goes for the theaters.

Is my interpretation correct? As I’ve said the examples above are part of a test and if a student is to make a choice one of the variants is suposed to be right an the other wrong. What do you think?

Your second example should also be «several.» Can’t come up with a reason, though. :confused:

Several is, for me, the most questionable and the most subjective. I’m not originally from Indiana (which is in the Midwestern U.S.), but I’ve lived here a long time and have more or less acclimated. However, one of the things that’s continued to puzzle me is how people here will sometimes use several in sentences in which I’d use many or quite a few, and the only way you can tell that they mean many is by context and tone of voice. For example, someone in his 50s or 60s will be talking about something that happened when he was in high school, and he’ll say, «Oh, this was several years ago.»

But in general, I agree with what the others have said. I also agree with Viera that while «a couple» is around 2, but it might be as many as 3.

Last edited: Jun 5, 2012

Andygc

I thought long and hard about your question, dec-sev, helped by looking at the OED and reminding myself that the meaning of several used today has drifted from its original meaning so that there is very little difference between several and some. I’d see the question as a very unfair one for English learners.

Several suggests that you have a number of separately identifiable objects. Some suggests that you have a number of objects that are not necessarily distinguishable from each other.

There are some theatres in the town would do as a simple statement of fact, like I have some apples. Add the additional they are very good and you are identifying them as having the potential to differ from each other (even though, in this case, they are all good).

There are several theatres in town and they are all very good becomes the appropriate way of saying it. You could go further:
There are several theatres in town. Some are very good. Here some is used to bundle them together as all the same — these are the good ones, those are the bad ones.

Likewise with your photographs. The conversation matters.
I have some photos of my son. You can have one. That’s perfectly natural.

but

A: Have you got only one picture of your son?
B: No, I’ve got several. You can take one of them.

The several is a response to the only one in the question. You have a number of photos, not just one, and you are quite happy to peel one of them off to give to A.

I feel that suggesting that some or several means less than 5 or more than 5 is nonsense. If I have about half a pack of cards I could say I have several cards, which equates to about 26. However, several is limited, and I doubt anybody would use several if they meant about 100.

The other difference, of course, is that several cannot apply to uncountables.

When would you say «this was several years ago» and when «This was some years ago»?
P.S.
@Andygc: Thank you for your exhaustive explanation!

Last edited: Jun 5, 2012

Andygc

For example, someone in his 50s or 60s will be talking about something that happened when he was in high school, and he’ll say, «Oh, this was several years ago.»

I would see that as a perfectly normal use of several. The OED dates that usage back to 1661 with the meaning

As a vague numeral: Of an indefinite (but not large) number exceeding two or three; more than two or three but not very many. (The chief current sense.)

several, adj., adv., and n.
Second edition, 1989; online version March 2012. <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/176914>; accessed 05 June 2012. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1912.

When would you say «this was several years ago» and when «This was some years ago»?

I wouldn’t — but other people here in Indiana (native-born Hoosiers — I am merely a transplant ) do it fairly often. I have never completely figured out a pattern for when they say «some years» and when they say «several,» but as far as I can tell, it’s used when they want to emphasize that there were more than a few of whatever they’re talking about. It seems paradoxical to use a word such as several that normally means «not that many» to emphasize the fact that it was really «quite a few,» but that is indeed what they seem to do.

I think this is a peculiarity in the speech of people from Indiana and perhaps surrounding areas, so I wouldn’t want you to think it’s something you can expect from a majority of native speakers. I brought it up only because it’s an example of how much variation there is among native speakers on the topic of several, many, some, a few, etc.

Like Andy said, it really isn’t a fair question for English learners. Asking the question seems to imply that there are right and wrong answers, and lots of times, there really are not. So much depends on context, tone of voice, and idiom that it really is very hard to quantify even vaguely.

Smac

When would you say «this was several years ago» and when «This was some years ago»?

These two seem to me to be equivalent for practical purposes. Both are stressing that the event was not recent and I do not think that one suggests an earlier event than the other, though both imply that it was probably more than three years ago.

However, you can say, ‘this was some time ago’, which also means that it was not recent, but the time scale might not be measured in years. For instance, ‘I bought this milk some time ago’ means it is not perfectly fresh but it may only be a week old.

You can intensify the expression to imply an even earlier event than that by saying, ‘This was quite some time ago’. Here you are stressing that the event was considerably earlier than one might have expected. Similarly, you can say, ‘this was quite some years ago’, or more naturally, ‘this was quite a few years ago’.

But you cannot say, ‘this was quite several years ago’. I think this reflects a very subtle distinction between ‘several’ and ‘some’. ‘Several’ focuses on a number of countable things whereas ‘some’ can also be applied to a quantity of something, as previously noted by Andygc.

I would see that as a perfectly normal use of several. The OED dates that usage back to 1661 with the meaning

As a vague numeral: Of an indefinite (but not large) number exceeding two or three; more than two or three but not very many. (The chief current sense.)

several, adj., adv., and n.
Second edition, 1989; online version March 2012. <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/176914>; accessed 05 June 2012. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1912.

In context — and I blame myself for not making this clearer — the meaning of several actually is «quite a few.» If you have a person in his 50s talking about something that occurred while he was in high school and saying it happened «several years ago» (and this is something that’s happened to me many times since I moved to Indiana), several would refer to more than 30. That to me seems closer to «many» than to «a few.» But as I said earlier, this isn’t how I use the word, it’s merely how I’ve heard the word used by others.

I agree with Viera about «couple» which means not only 2 but also just generally ‘a few’ and so can refer to 2, 3 and even more sometimes. I use it this way and the dictionary says it’s okay, but I do get corrected by people sometimes. I say «I went to France a couple of years ago» and someone says «No, you went to France three years ago.»

There is a common thread in these responses, a consensus of sorts. The initial number that represents a «few» is mostly stated as 3. However the upper number representations are scattered. Taking all points of view into account, find the common thread(s), and the majority’s opinion. Subsequently, 2 definitively represents a pair, the first number that represents a few is 3 (which makes perfect sense because it is the first number greater than 2), the first number representing several is 4, and so on. Nevertheless, I find it interesting that the responses to this post span more than a few years (3), and more than several years (4). This question has been answered from October 2006, until March 2013, which definitely qualifies as «a number» of years (to say the least).

When would you say «this was several years ago» and when «This was some years ago»?

I would say either in most circumstances. «Some years ago» does rather emphasize that it was a long time ago, but I’d say «several» easily overlaps «some».

To some extent it depends on the age of the speaker — like the other words discussed earlier, they’re kind of about what portion of the whole you mean. So for me, at 65, «some years ago» invokes a longer time span than it would coming from a 20yo.

Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2015

I too admire Angygc’s thorough explanation of several. Also, to me, it’s somehow got a different register or feel about it, one of lackadaisical casualness about the number or choices involved, a kind of shrugging of the shoulders to indicate, «but I’m not too excited about this, and it might tire me to go into more detail.»

In context — and I blame myself for not making this clearer — the meaning of several actually is «quite a few.» If you have a person in his 50s talking about something that occurred while he was in high school and saying it happened «several years ago» (and this is something that’s happened to me many times since I moved to Indiana), several would refer to more than 30. That to me seems closer to «many» than to «a few.» But as I said earlier, this isn’t how I use the word, it’s merely how I’ve heard the word used by others.

In the Midwestern States as well as many other rural areas in the States, people commonly use «some, «a few,» or «several,» in a colloquial way that means a lot more than expressed. It’s sort of a charming, casual, sarcastic or facetious way of saying it; it has become so embedded in the cultural jargon that, if asked, people probably wouldn’t say or feel they’re being that way. It’s kind of «cutesie» or even a type of verbal irony. «It was some years ago,» means it was more than a couple…a lot more probably. «Quite a few» when broken down, literally means a very small amount yet always functions as an indeterminately larger amount than is worth counting at the present moment. «Several years ago…» The only thing certain about that one is that it wasn’t recent (like last year) and it wasn’t before, say, WWII.

I think my question fits here.
Is it proper to give a short answer «Many.» for «how many»-question? Or only the answer «A lot of.» is possible?
For example:
— How many DevOps does it take to change a lightbulb?
— Many.

No, ‘many’ doesn’t work as an answer here. ‘A lot’ is possible, but we would usually give a more precise answer in reply to a ‘How many . . . ?’ question.

Even in a joke.

(What’s the answer to ‘How many DevOps does it take to change a lightbulb?’)

No, ‘many’ doesn’t work as an answer here. ‘A lot’ is possible, but we would usually give a more precise answer in reply to a ‘How many . . . ?’ question.

Even in a joke.

(What’s the answer to ‘How many DevOps does it take to change a lightbulb?’)

Thanks. Original joking dialogue looks as follows:
-How many DevOps does it take to change a lightbulb?
-First you burn down the house, and rebuild it automatically to the point where the lightbulb wasn’t burnt out.

Funny, but it also seems that answering question is not their professional feature) and ‘many’ can’t be answer hidden in question, as we found out