“A lot,” “allot,” “alot” — these terms may look alike and sound alike, but it’s time to settle any questions about this trio once and for all.
Let’s start by eliminating one: “Alot” is not a word. It’s just a common misspelling. You’ve probably seen “alot” enough times that it feels right, but just because we see it a lot doesn’t make it correct. Writing “alot” instead of “a lot” would be akin to writing “alittle” instead of “a little.”
“A lot” means “a large amount,” and the term can function as either a quantifier/indefinite pronoun or an adverb. For example, in the case of “She has a lot of meetings today,” “a lot” is an indefinite pronoun modifying “meetings.” If you were to say, “He talks a lot,” “a lot” is an adverb modifying “talks.”
While common in everyday English, “a lot” is informal and should be avoided in formal writing. In professional writing, consider more polished substitutions. For adverbs, try “often,” “frequently,” or “greatly.” If you need a quantifier or indefinite pronoun, use “much,” “many,” or “plenty,” depending on the context.
“Allot” is a verb meaning “to distribute or to assign,” often appearing when something is split into smaller shares. You might say, “She allots 20 minutes for each meeting,” or “He allotted adequate resources to each person.”
“Lot” on its own has additional meanings: a tract of land, a place to park, a person’s fate, or a portion of a whole. While perhaps not the best writing, this sentence is grammatically correct: “His lot in life was to allot lots to a lot of people.”
So remember: Use “a lot” for quantity, use “allot” for assigning, and avoid “alot” … a lot.
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