People, people, people! Will you stop misusing this one. . .please? When using this phrase to mean "many," the correct form is always, always, always, 100% of the time written as two words. Therefore, "a lot" is correct in that context.
"Alot" is considered nonstandard. Knock it off!
Okay, so here's my theory as to why it's used so much:
It's probably confused with "allot," which means "to distribute or parcel out" or "to set aside for a special purpose." (Thanks dictionary.com.) Yes, I CAN come up with my own definitions, but I figure it's okay once in a while to take the easy route.
I guess people figure if "allot" can be one word, then "alot" can be one word also. But it's not. . .nor will it ever be. So just get it out of your head. Right now!
No, Smarty Pants, I don't have any hard research to support my theory. It's just that. . .a theory. Got any better ideas? I didn't think so.
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About Me
- Random Musings
- Obviously, the picture is not of me. It's our pride and joy, Daisy. She's a lot better looking than I am, so I figured you'd want to look at her instead. I'll write the posts, however. She can't. She doesn't have opposable thumbs. Currently, I teach high school English, and, since I'm trying to improve the use of language in 16-year-olds, I thought I'd branch out and give some pointers to adults, too. Hope you're not offended. It's just my way of improving the world -- one day at a time. Oh, by the way, I'm always available for freelance writing/editing jobs -- and I'm pretty inexpensive, so. . .
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