This mistake shows up all the time. In fact, it shows up quite a lot.
INCORRECT
- My professor corrects my grammar alot.
- Wow, there sure are alot of errors in this book!
- I think about chocolate alot, but not so much about caramel.
CORRECT
“Alot” is not a word in the English language, yet many people persist in writing a lot as “alot,” as if it were right and normal to do so. As a unit of measurement, a lot was an object that stood in for a share of something else. When you ask for a lot of chocolate, the assumption is that there is even more to go around. You aren’t eating all the chocolate, but you are eating a lot — an allotment — of it.
MEMORY TIP
Alot isn’t a word. It’s not a lot to remember.