| 例句 |
a lota lot /ə ˈlɑt/ pronoun, adverb also lots (informal)1 a large amount or number► a lot also lots pronoun (informal) a large amount of something, or a large number of people or things: I ate a lot for lunch, and I’m still full.Will has a lot of friends, so he’s always busy on the weekends.There’s still lots to do if you want to help.► much pronoun, adjective a large amount of something: He didn’t say much about his trip, so I don’t know if he had fun or not.Can you pay? I don’t have much money with me.There was too much work for one person. ➔ GRAMMAR: Much is used mainly in questions, in sentences with “not,” or after “too” or “so.” In other types of sentences, use a lot of. Don’t say: Terry has much money. Say: Terry has a lot of money.► a great deal also a good deal pronoun (formal) a large amount of something: It took a great deal of time and effort to paint the mural.She earns a good deal of money from her business.► quite a bit pronoun a fairly large amount. Quite a bit is fairly informal: Don has gained quite a bit of weight, because he isn’t exercising.► plenty pronoun enough or more than enough: Make sure the plants get plenty of water.There’s plenty to do in New York - you won’t be bored.ANTONYMS ➔ see little2GRAMMAR CHECK: a lotA lot of, much of, a great deal of, etc. are also used to talk about a large part of a group, amount, or thing: A lot of my friends have kids now. | Much of the town was destroyed in the war.2 to a large degree► a lot adverb to a large degree: Ken likes Sarah a lot, and he’s going to ask her out to dinner.The test was a lot harder than the others. I wish I had studied more.► much adverb much is similar in meaning to a lot but you use it in different ways in a sentence: Thank you very much.Olivia is much taller than her sister, so she seems more grown up. ➔ GRAMMAR: Much is used mainly before comparative words such as “more” or “bigger,” or after “too,” “very,” or “so”: Their house is much bigger than mine. | I ate too much. | It was so much fun! In other types of sentences, use a lot. Don’t say: I like it much. Say: I like it very much or I like it a lot.► a great deal also a good deal adverb (formal) a great deal means the same as a lot: The problem is a great deal more complicated than anyone expected.His spelling used to be very bad but it has improved a good deal.► quite a bit adverb to a fairly large degree: In the past five years the town has changed quite a bit, with hundreds of new houses being built. ➔ see often |