Use “A Lot Of” Before Nouns.br “A lot of” + noun means a large quantity or a high number. “A lot of” can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.br br There were a lot of students in the classroom.br I drank a lot of water during the marathon.br COMMON ERROR: DON’T USE “VERY” WITH NOUNS!br There were very students in the classroom.br There were a lot of students in the classroom.br There were many students in the classroom.br Use “A Lot” After Verbs.br Verb + “a lot” means “very much” or “frequently”:br br I like this singer a lot.br = I like this singer very much.br br She travels a lot for work.br = She travels frequently for work.br br COMMON ERROR: “A LOT” IS ALWAYS TWO WORDS, NEVER ONE WORD!br I studied alot for the English test.br I studied a lot for the English test.br Use “So” And “Very” Before Adjectives:br “So” is used with “that” to add extra information – usually a result or consequence:br br Last night I was very tired.br Last night I was so tired that I almost fell asleep while driving.br br This book is very interesting.br This book is so interesting that I stayed up until 3 AM reading it!br br She plays the piano very well.br She plays the piano so well that people often ask if she’s a professional.br br COMMON ERROR: DON’T USE “A LOT” WITH ADJECTIVES:br Last night I was a lot tired.br br Informal Spoken English:br In informal spoken English, it’s common to use “really” instead of “very”:br br Last night I was really tired.br This book is really interesting.br She plays the piano really well.br However, you can’t substitute “really” for “so.