I have to break it to you.
Alot is not a word. This is, perhaps, one of the most common errors that I see in writing - even (*gasp*) professional writing. For example: "We had alot of snow this winter."
Yipes.
This is like saying "I had achicken for dinner."
"A" is still just an article (like "an" or "the") when placed before "lot." "Lot" is a word that means, according to Dictionary.com, "a number of things or persons collectively". When you say "a lot" - or "alot", as the case may be - you're trying to say that you have a big group of something. Keep that "a" away from the rest of the word.
Whenever I teach students this (and repeat it endlessly over the course of the semester), someone invariably yells out, "But can't it sometimes be a word?"
The answer is sort of - but not spelled like that. There is also the word "allot", meaning "to designate." For example, "I will allot a certain amount of money to the vacation fund."
Ta da! That wasn't painful - was it?
About Me
- Heather
- I'm Heather, a 30-year-old PhD student at Penn. I live in west Philadelphia in a semi-cooperative house with four other adults and love it. My cat, Manders, is one of my great loves in life, as is my morning coffee. Lately, I've found myself especially smitten with a hot photographer who makes me smile every time I think about him. I do my best to take on every opportunity for adventure. I'm addicted to reading. I could eat sushi every day. I get insatiable cravings for melted cheese, grapefruit juice, vinegar, and Bulgarian feta. I'm entirely too sensitive. I can't stand The Wizard of Oz (but I loooove Wicked) or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Grammar’s fun. I've got a thing for accents. Naps make me exceedingly happy, as do campfires. I'm a runner, but I don't really like running. I love learning new vocabulary words, but I'm terrible at Scrabble. If I curse, it means I'm pretty upset about something. I'm an introvert, which you'd never guess if you met me at school. I think my feet look cute in red socks. I'm indecisive and hate being the one to pick the restaurant or activity. I'm a writer but too scared to seek publication. Mostly, I’m a nerd.
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4 comments:
Can we have a lay/lie tutorial? I have the worst time with that. There's another one, too...I can't remember, but I screw it up *a lot.*
The a lot thing annoys me sometimes as well. I don't think I am guilty of that. If I am, I say it is b/c I am typing too fast and get lazy and don't proof what I have written and/or spell check.
I'm also with Amanda on the lay/lie/laid thing. I just don't use those words b/c I always mess those up.
One that really annoys me in legal/professional documents is *preventative* Um. It is *preventive* To me, preventative isn't a word, the word is preventive. When you pull up preventative in the dictionary, it takes you to preventive. That is me being nitpicky! LOL
I have some more but will have to ponder b/c I can't think of them right now.
Yup, could use some help with lay/lie as well. The only thing I can remember about it is our teacher saying that if you go to "lay down", there better be an egg there after you get back up :-)
Oh yes yes yes. This is another one that really bothers me.
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