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A Lot vs. Alot vs. Allot: Which Is Correct?
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A lot, alot, and allot: These words are all used often in writing. Some people also consider them to be either interchangeable or the same word with different spellings. In truth, a lot, alot, and allot are not the same. Two of them have separate meanings, and one isn't even a word at all.
For greater clarity, we will break down the distinctions among these words.
When to Use A Lot and Alot
Let's start with the basics. A lot means "several" or "very much," and it is always spelled as two words. An easy way to remember this is by mentally inserting another word. For example, you could think to yourself I have a large lot of video games in my apartment. That can help you recall that a and lot are separate words that join to form a commonly used phrase.
This also clears up another common confusion: alot, spelled as a single word, is always incorrect.
With that in mind, let's look at some sentences using a lot correctly:
I have gotten a lot of unsolicited calls lately.
There were a lot of people at the mall today.
I'm feeling a lot of fatigue after being out late last night. |
The Meaning of Allot
If a lot is correct and alot isn't a word, that leaves us with one more variation to explore. The word allot (double l) is a verb that means "to put something aside or designate it."
Here are a couple of examples of allot being properly used in sentences:
I try to allot $100 from each paycheck for my vacation savings.
I couldn't finish the exam within the one-hour allotted time period. (Here the verb allot appears in its participle form as an adjective.) |
The easiest way to tell this word apart is that it is an action word. So if you're talking about something that is much or many, you want to write a lot. If you are talking about sharing or distributing a specified quantity or amount, you will use allot.
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Pop Quiz
Fill in the blanks below with the correct usage of a lot or allot:
1. Steve has _____ of trains in his collection.
2. I've known _____ of people, but no one like Sharon.
3. Joanie has ____ of cats on her farm.
4. The city council will soon _____ its budget for community repairs.
5. I thought I knew _____ about basketball until I met PJ.
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Wordplay
An overdose of quotation marks.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Steve has a lot of trains in his collection.
2. I've known a lot of people, but no one like Sharon.
3. Joanie has a lot of cats on her farm.
4. The city council will soon allot its budget for community repairs.
5. I thought I knew a lot about basketball until I met PJ.
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