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Quantifiers: many, most, a lot of

Quantifiers are used at the beginning of noun phrases. They are used to express an
amount or a degree of something. They are also used with people.

Look at these examples:

• He has a lot of friends in the championship.
• There aren’t many people in the stadium.
• Most golfer are playing in the big field.

A LOT OF

We use a lot of in informal styles.
A lot of can be used with plural countable nouns and with singular uncountable nouns
for affirmative sentences, but negative sentences, and questions are not commonly
used.

Affirmative sentences:

Countable nouns

• For example: There are a lot of trees in the field.

Uncountable nouns

• For example: There is a lot of water on the court.

Negative sentences and Questions:

When we use a lot of in negative sentences or questions, we are usually expecting a large quantity of something.

For example:

• That’s not a lot of money for a racket.
• Are there a lot of good players at your tennis club?

Note: We omit of when a lot is not followed by a noun.

For example:

• Are there a lot of people in horse racing?
• Yes, there are a lot.