Lots of questions for a lot of clauses!?

Question

I am confused over the use of *lots of* vs *lot of*. I am phrasing a sentence having the following clause : > [Article] [lot-of/lots-of] [noun singular/plural] [verb] ... As an example : > A lot of mail keeps arriving. Ignoring the structuring of the sentence for the moment, what are the rules for matching up the article, noun and verb when using either lot of or lots of?

Answer 1

"A lot of" and "lots of" can be used interchangeably. They both indicate a large quantity of something, which can either be a plural noun or a singular, uncountable noun regardless of which phrase you use.

Grammatically correct examples:

"I drink a lot of water," or alternatively, "I drink lots of water." "Water" here is an uncountable noun.

"I have a lot of friends," or alternatively, "I have lots of friends." "Friends" is a plural noun.

When such a phrase is in the subject, the verb conjugation derives from the noun following "of," not the singularity/plurality of "lot" or "lots." Your example is correct, since "mail" is a singular, uncountable noun.

When you say "a lot of," the article is always going to be "a," the indefinite singular article. On the other hand, when you say "lots of," there is never an article, since English does not have an indefinite plural article. These phrases do not generally take definite articles.

Also, the noun phrases "a lot of [something]" and "lots of [something]" can be both subjects, as in your example, and objects, as in my examples.