lots of oil IS / ARE?

IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 20.09.04, 08:24
I'm at a loss.

'lots of people are' - rather logical, isn't it?
'lots of oil' - IS/ARE?
'a lot of people' - IS/ARE?
'loads of space' - IS/ARE?
'loads of friends' - IS/ARE?

Could anybody explain these to me, please?
    • Gość: marek Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.hwr.Arizona.EDU 20.09.04, 09:33
      'lots of people' means 'many people' or 'large number of people' - hence, use
      ARE

      'lots of oil' means 'much oil' or 'large amount of oil' - hence, use IS

      Try to avoid 'lots of' and 'loads of'. Write 'many friends' instead of 'loads
      of friends'.
      • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 20.09.04, 09:45
        Thanks A LOT :) !!!
      • Gość: anwoz Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.neoplus.adsl.tpnet.pl 20.09.04, 09:48
        Marek is right. Unaccountable nouns don't have plural forms so the verbs should
        also be singular,I think:

        lots of people/friends are
        lots of oil is
        • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 20.09.04, 09:52
          Thank you. I think that I'm on the right track now.
        • Gość: mothertongue a ja się nie zgadzam IP: *.crowley.pl 21.09.04, 20:57

          Animate vs non-animate is the right answer.

          "loads of" is used in spoken BrE.


          mothertongue

          ------------
          "concentrate and try to feel it, my little Jedi"
      • Gość: Ela Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.neoplus.adsl.tpnet.pl 20.09.04, 21:27
        > Try to avoid 'lots of' and 'loads of'

        I've got one question... why should we avoid these forms? Is it a matter of
        formal/informal writing or is it just incorrect?
        • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 21.09.04, 18:41
          I think they might be colloquial and by some people considered inelegant.
          According to Longman dictionary 'a lot' is more frequently used in speech
          whereas 'many' is "more formal and not usual in conversation". When I was
          preparing to take the FC exam I was advised not to use it (and I followed this
          advice). I passed this test and now I just wanted to cast aside my doubts. I
          wanted to know whether these quantifiers change the grammatical category of
          these words. I know that bread is uncountable but when I say a loaf of bread
          then it becomes countable, so 'a loaf of bread IS'. If I say 'two loaves of
          bread' then they ARE. What happens if I do something like that with those
          quantifiers mentioned above?
          • karta2 Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 21.09.04, 19:38
            "A loaf of bread" means a unit of mass, called a loaf, of bread.
            The meaning of the phrase is partitive. You can buy one loaf of bread or two,
            three, or four loaves of bread. Similarly you can drink a cup of coffee or
            two glasses of milk.

            "A lot of" and "lots of" are not partitive when they mean "many" or "much."
            You cannot say, "I met three lots of people" at the party," unless the people
            had been tagged and divided into lots.
            • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 21.09.04, 20:30
              Now I understand. I won't ask about it any more.

              I am really grateful for your help.
              • chris-joe Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 21.09.04, 20:56
                all this theory is awe inspiring, however it is just that, a theory. In
                practise, at least in N. American English vernacular, the phrase "There's lots
                of people/lotsa people (eg. at the party)" is quite often used. Purists may
                not exactly like it, but that's just too bad for purists :)
                • karta2 Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 21.09.04, 21:19
                  chris-joe napisał:


                  >In practise, at least in N. American English vernacular, the phrase "There's
                  lots
                  > of people/lotsa people (eg. at the party)" is quite often used. Purists may
                  > not exactly like it, but that's just too bad for purists :)


                  In practise, at least in THE N. American English vernacular...
                  • quickly Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 00:11
                    karta2 napisała:
                    "In practise, at least in THE N. American English vernacular..."

                    karta2, nie badz takim purysta... (tylko nie pomysl, ze jestem zlosliwy, bo tak
                    jak obiecalem staram sie nim nie byc).

                    chris-joe, w odroznieniu od wielu uczestnikow tego forum, stara sie wniesc cos
                    ciekawego, dostarczajac przyklady uzycia form i wyrazen uzywanych w j.
                    angielskim... i to sie liczy...

                    Poza tym karta2 bardzo zgrabnie to ujeles/las piszac, ze:

                    "A loaf of bread" means a unit of mass, called a loaf, of bread.
                    The meaning of the phrase is partitive. You can buy one loaf of bread or two,
                    three, or four loaves of bread. Similarly you can drink a cup of coffee or
                    two glasses of milk.

                    "A lot of" and "lots of" are not partitive when they mean "many" or "much."
                    You cannot say, "I met three lots of people" at the party," unless the people
                    had been tagged and divided into lots.

                    Tylko, ze to jest raczej dobre do jakiejs ksiazki lingwistycznej, a nie dla
                    kogos, kto wlasnie poznaje tajniki angielskiej gramatyki.

                    Find me a native speaker who would know the meaning of the word "partitive"!

                    Z tym slowem spotkalem sie zdaje sie na drugim, czy trzecim roku studiow.
                    Ksiazki wyjasniajace "English syntax", az roja sie od takich terminow
                    (eg. "juxtapose", "ergative" etc.)To jest dobre dla takich moli ksiazkowych jak
                    ja - a nie dla porzadnych ludzi. :)))


                    I chyba powinno byc "I met there lots of people at the party" zamiast "I met
                    three lots of people at the party.". Nie przejmuj sie. Zdarza sie. Na pewno
                    przed wyslaniem wrzuciles swoj tekst na "spell checker", zeby poprawic
                    ewentualne bledy, no i zamiast "there" klikneles "three".
                    (Ja zawsze sprawdzam swoj tekst w ten sposob. Inaczej to by mnie miilusia
                    rozniosla na strzepy...)

                    • zegar4 Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 02:51
                      quickly napisał:

                      > I chyba powinno byc "I met there lots of people at the party" zamiast "I met
                      > three lots of people at the party.". Nie przejmuj sie. Zdarza sie. Na pewno
                      > przed wyslaniem wrzuciles swoj tekst na "spell checker", zeby poprawic
                      > ewentualne bledy, no i zamiast "there" klikneles "three".
                      > (Ja zawsze sprawdzam swoj tekst w ten sposob. Inaczej to by mnie miilusia
                      > rozniosla na strzepy...)

                      Another doofus no-goodnik has a hard time reading.

                      It says t-h-r-e-e, as in o-n-e, t-w-o, t-h-r-e-e, f-o-u-r...
                      Now you must pay attention and concentrate. Repeat after me:
                      Y-o-u c-a-n-n-o-t s-a-y "I m-e-t t-h-r-e-e l-o-t-s o-f p-e-o-p-l-e
                      a-t t-h-e p-a-r-t-y u-n-l-e-s-s..."
                      G-o-t i-t?

                      • quickly Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 03:29
                        "...Another doofus no-goodnik has a hard time reading..."
                        he he he he
                        I get it. That's for sure... :)))
                        • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 22.09.04, 08:35
                          Luckily I started to concentrate on English grammar some time ago and the
                          word 'partitive' doesn't put me off going deeper and deeper, but such 'kwiatki'
                          don't let me sleep at night. I must say that karta2's explanation helped me a
                          lot and now I've got it off my chest.

                          Don't you ever feel that going deeply into ins and outs of grammar is like
                          digging your own grave?
                          • Gość: Gromit Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.icpnet.pl 22.09.04, 10:31
                            Marek.
                            Ok, 'many' is grammatically correct, but more people say 'lots of'. It's easier,
                            because it works with countable and uncountable nouns, e.g. lots of people, lots
                            of oil.
                            'Many' or 'much' are common in negative sentences. This is why a lot of Polish
                            students who follow your advice will sound unnatural to a native speaker.
                            • chris-joe Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 11:08
                              ...but, on the other hand, they WILL pass the tests :)
                              • hatemuti Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 11:41
                                chris-joe napisał:

                                > ...but, on the other hand, they WILL pass the tests :)

                                right you are...
                                they will pass the tests and they will get jobs and in turn they will most
                                probably employ others who have passed something too. Some people in Cambridge
                                knew how to make a living...
                                • demicjusz Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 11:58
                                  hatemuti napisała:

                                  > Some people in Cambridge
                                  > knew how to make a living...

                                  You mean they still knOw how to make a living...More than ever.
                                  • hatemuti Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 12:38
                                    demicjusz napisał:

                                    > hatemuti napisała:
                                    >
                                    > > Some people in Cambridge
                                    > > knew how to make a living...
                                    >
                                    > You mean they still knOw how to make a living...More than ever.

                                    Indeed, they do knOw...
                              • demicjusz Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? 22.09.04, 12:54
                                chris-joe napisał:

                                > ...but, on the other hand, they WILL pass the tests :)

                                The following is part of a junior high school entrance exam. The instructions -
                                correct any mistakes you find in the sentences. How would you go about this
                                one? This is a test, you can't write a long explanation about formal and
                                informal usage...

                                Zadanie 2.

                                W niektórych z poniższych zdań są błędy. Znajdź je i napisz poprawną wersję
                                zdania w wierszu poniżej. Jeżeli uważasz, że w zdaniu nie ma błędu, napisz
                                literę C. W jednym zdaniu może być tylko jeden błąd. (10 pkt.)

                                d) There's a lot of people there.
                                ................................................

                                • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE? IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 22.09.04, 13:25
                                  I really hate these (usu. one) politically correct answers.

                                  Is it so that the best solution for a student is to think about the
                                  expectations of teachers... and fulfill them?
                                  • Gość: mothertongue lots of oil IS / ARE - easy to native speakers IP: *.crowley.pl 22.09.04, 13:44
                                    Read my previous post, whankers!
                                    Ask, if you cannot comrehend the notion.

                                    there's lots of or there're lots of is a different thing.
                                    People is or people are likewise.

                                    mothertongue
                                    • demicjusz Re: lots of oil IS / ARE - easy to native speaker 22.09.04, 13:56
                                      www.google.pl/search?hl=pl&ie=UTF-8&q=%22there%27s+lots+of+people+there%22&lr=
                                      • Gość: mothertongue Re: lots of oil IS / ARE - easy to native speaker IP: *.crowley.pl 22.09.04, 14:05
                                        chodzi o:

                                        lots of IS / ARE

                                        nie o:

                                        there's lots of / there are lots of

                                        mothertongue
                                        • demicjusz Re: lots of oil IS / ARE - easy to native speaker 22.09.04, 14:10
                                          Just to make it clear: my post was a reply to chris-joe's remark about PASSING
                                          TESTS
                                          • Gość: at a loss Re: lots of oil IS / ARE - easy to native speaker IP: *.82-139.bia.tkb.net.pl 22.09.04, 18:16
                                            to mothertongue

                                            1. Thank you so much for calling me such a cute name.

                                            2. I haven't thought that seeking answers is almost a crime. Do you feel
                                            offended that your post went unnoticed or what? Ok, I understood the contextual
                                            usage of 'loads of', but... do you think that your explanation: 'animate vs.
                                            non-animate' helps me? I even don't know what to ask about?- your hint is too
                                            vague for somebody who doesn't study linguistics. Or it's only me who doesn't
                                            grasp the idea?
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