Tra từ lot - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

lot [lot lots lotted lotting] pronoun, determiner, adverb, noun BrE [lɒt] NAmE [lɑːt]
pronoun a lot (also informal lots)~ (to do)
a large number or amount
• ‘How many do you need?’ ‘A lot.’
• Have some more cake. There's lots left.
•She still has an awful lot (= a very large amount) to learn.
•He has invited nearly a hundred people but a lot aren't able to come.

Word Origin:
Old English hlot (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lot, German Los. The original meaning was ‘by lot’ and (by extension) the sense ‘a portion assigned to someone’; this gave rise to the other noun senses. The pronoun and adverb uses date from the early 19th cent.

Grammar Point:
many / a lot of / lots of
Many is used only with countable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences: ▪ Do you go to many concerts? ◇ ▪ How many ▪ people came to the meeting? ◇ ▪ I don’t go to many concerts. Although it is not common in statements, it is used after so, as and too: ▪ You made too many mistakes.
In statements a lot of or lots of (informal) are much more common: ▪ I go to a lot of concerts. ◇ ▪ ‘How many CDs have you got?’ ‘Lots!’ However, they are not used with measurements of time or distance: ▪ I stayed in England for many/quite a few/ten weeks. ◇ I stayed in England a lot of weeks. When a lot of/lots of means ‘many’, it takes a plural verb: ▪ Lots of people like Italian food. You can also use plenty of (informal): ▪ Plenty of stores stay open late. These phrases can also be used in questions and negative sentences.
A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in BrE, so in formal writing it is better to use many or a large number of in statements.
note at ↑much

Grammar Point:
much / a lot of / lots of
Much is used only with uncountable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences: ▪ Do you have much free time? ◇ ▪ How much ▪ experience have you had? ◇ ▪ I don’t have much free time.
In statements a lot of or lots of (informal) is much more common: ▪ ‘How much (money) does she earn? ◇ ▪ She earns a lot of money. You can also use plenty (of). These phrases can also be used in questions and negative sentences.
A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in BrE, so in formal writing it is better to use much, a great deal of or a large amount of.
Very much and a lot can be used as adverbs: ▪ I miss my family very much. ◇ I miss very much my family. ◇ ▪ I miss my family a lot. ◇ ▪ Thanks a lot. In negative sentences you can use much: ▪ I didn’t enjoy the film (very) much.
note at ↑many
Idioms: ↑all over the lot ▪ ↑bad lot ▪ ↑by lot ▪ ↑draw lots ▪ ↑fall to somebody's lot ▪ ↑throw in your lot with somebody

determiner a lot of (also informal lots of)
a large number or amount of sb/sth
• What a lot of presents!
• A lot of people are coming to the meeting.
•black coffee with lots of sugar
•I saw a lot of her (= I saw her often) last summer.

Word Origin:
Old English hlot (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lot, German Los. The original meaning was ‘by lot’ and (by extension) the sense ‘a portion assigned to someone’; this gave rise to the other noun senses. The pronoun and adverb uses date from the early 19th cent.

Grammar Point:
many / a lot of / lots of
Many is used only with countable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences: ▪ Do you go to many concerts? ◇ ▪ How many ▪ people came to the meeting? ◇ ▪ I don’t go to many concerts. Although it is not common in statements, it is used after so, as and too: ▪ You made too many mistakes.
In statements a lot of or lots of (informal) are much more common: ▪ I go to a lot of concerts. ◇ ▪ ‘How many CDs have you got?’ ‘Lots!’ However, they are not used with measurements of time or distance: ▪ I stayed in England for many/quite a few/ten weeks. ◇ I stayed in England a lot of weeks. When a lot of/lots of means ‘many’, it takes a plural verb: ▪ Lots of people like Italian food. You can also use plenty of (informal): ▪ Plenty of stores stay open late. These phrases can also be used in questions and negative sentences.
A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in BrE, so in formal writing it is better to use many or a large number of in statements.
note at ↑much

Grammar Point:
much / a lot of / lots of
Much is used only with uncountable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences: ▪ Do you have much free time? ◇ ▪ How much ▪ experience have you had? ◇ ▪ I don’t have much free time.
In statements a lot of or lots of (informal) is much more common: ▪ ‘How much (money) does she earn? ◇ ▪ She earns a lot of money. You can also use plenty (of). These phrases can also be used in questions and negative sentences.
A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in BrE, so in formal writing it is better to use much, a great deal of or a large amount of.
Very much and a lot can be used as adverbs: ▪ I miss my family very much. ◇ I miss very much my family. ◇ ▪ I miss my family a lot. ◇ ▪ Thanks a lot. In negative sentences you can use much: ▪ I didn’t enjoy the film (very) much.
note at ↑many

adverb (informal)
1. a lot (also informal lots)used with adjectives and adverbs to mean ‘much’
• I'm feeling a lot better today.
• I eat lots less than I used to.
2. a lotused with verbs to mean ‘a great amount’
• I care a lot about you.
• Thanks a lot for your help.
•I play tennis quite a lot (= often) in the summer.

Word Origin:
Old English hlot (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lot, German Los. The original meaning was ‘by lot’ and (by extension) the sense ‘a portion assigned to someone’; this gave rise to the other noun senses. The pronoun and adverb uses date from the early 19th cent.

Grammar Point:
much / a lot of / lots of
Much is used only with uncountable nouns. It is used mainly in questions and negative sentences: ▪ Do you have much free time? ◇ ▪ How much ▪ experience have you had? ◇ ▪ I don’t have much free time.
In statements a lot of or lots of (informal) is much more common: ▪ ‘How much (money) does she earn? ◇ ▪ She earns a lot of money. You can also use plenty (of). These phrases can also be used in questions and negative sentences.
A lot of/lots of is still felt to be informal, especially in BrE, so in formal writing it is better to use much, a great deal of or a large amount of.
Very much and a lot can be used as adverbs: ▪ I miss my family very much. ◇ I miss very much my family. ◇ ▪ I miss my family a lot. ◇ ▪ Thanks a lot. In negative sentences you can use much: ▪ I didn’t enjoy the film (very) much.
note at ↑many

noun

WHOLE AMOUNT/NUMBER
1. the lot, the whole lotsingular + singular or plural verb (informal)the whole number or amount of people or things
•He's bought a new PC, colour printer, scanner— the lot.
•Get out of my house, the lot of you!
•That's the lot! (= that includes everything)
•That's your lot! (= that's all you're getting)

GROUP/SET
2. countable + singular or plural verb (especially BrE)a group or set of people or things
•The first lot of visitors has/have arrived.
•I have several lots of essays to mark this weekend.
• (informal)What do you lot want?

ITEMS TO BE SOLD
3. countable an item or a number of items to be sold, especially at an ↑auction
•Lot 46: six chairs

AREA OF LAND
4. countable an area of land used for a particular purpose
•a parking lot
•a vacant lot (= one available to be built on or used for sth)
• (especially NAmE)We're going to build a house on this lot.

LUCK/SITUATION
5. singular a person's luck or situation in life
Syn: ↑destiny
•She was feeling dissatisfied with her lot.
more at the best of a bad lot at ↑best _n.

Word Origin:
Old English hlot (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lot, German Los. The original meaning was ‘by lot’ and (by extension) the sense ‘a portion assigned to someone’; this gave rise to the other noun senses. The pronoun and adverb uses date from the early 19th cent.

Synonyms:
land
lot • ground • space • plot
These words all mean an area of land that is used for a particular purpose.
land • an area of ground, especially one that is used for a particular purpose: ▪ agricultural land
lot • (NAmE) a piece of land that is used or intended for a particular purpose: ▪ building lots ◇ ▪ a parking lot
ground • an area of land that is used for a particular purpose: ▪ The kids were playing on waste ground near the school. ◇ ▪ the site of an ancient burial ground
land, lot or ground?
Land is used for large areas of open land in the country, especially when it is used for farming. A lot is often a smaller piece of land in a town or city, especially one intended for building or parking on. Ground is any area of open land; a ground is an area of land designed or used for a particular purpose or activity.
space • a large area of land that has no buildings on it: ▪ The city has plenty of open space. ◇ ▪ the ▪ wide open spaces ▪ of the Canadian prairies
plot • a small piece of land used or intended for a particular purpose: ▪ She bought a small ▪ plot of land ▪ to build a house. ◇ ▪ a vegetable plot
lot or plot?
Either a lot or a plot can be used for building on. Only a plot can also be used for growing vegetables or burying people.
an open space
open/empty/vacant/waste/derelict land/ground
a/an empty/vacant lot/plot

Example Bank:
•I had an awful lot of work to do.
•I've got an awful lot of work to do before I go on holiday.
•Our house is built on a lot that's somewhat below street level.
•She bought the whole lot.
•There's not a whole lot of difference between them.
•a hell of a lot of money
•abandoned lots converted into baseball fields
•the market for homes on smaller lots
•Building lots will cost between $100 000 and $500 000.
•He backed the car into the parking lot.
•He threw in his lot with the pirates.
•It fell to her lot to organize the Christmas party.
•Shall I put this lot with the others?
•She was feeling very dissatisfied with her lot.
•Some kids were playing ball in a vacant lot.
•The first lot of visitors has/have arrived.

See also: ↑lots