Which is correct grammar, and WHY?
There is a lot of fish in the lake or there are a lot of fish in the lake?
Ron S.
New member
2 answers 
I'm going to disagree with Holly. According to both of my dictionaries -- Merriam-Webster Collegiate and American Heritage -- "lots" as a plural for "a lot" is non-standard usage.
Looking under "lot", a noun, we find the specific usage "a lot". "A lot" is plural and a synonym for many. The plural "lots" is reserved for the primary meanings of "lot" -- an object used as a means of determining a question by chance, a piece of land.
There are a lot of fish in the lake is the correct answer and is not ambiguous.
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answered May 14 '12 at 04:22
Jeff Pribyl
Grammarly Fellow
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You're right -- "ambiguity" was the wrong word. But "a lot" isn't always plural. For instance, you could say, "a lot of cake is left."
add commentIt depends on what part of the subject you want to put your emphasis on. In the example you gave, "there are a lot of fish in the lake" is correct, because you're not putting your emphasis on the "lot" -- you're really talking about the fish (plural).
To put it another way:
There are a lot of cars on the freeway.
There is a lot full of cars around the corner.
If you want to avoid ambiguity altogether, you could just say, "There are lots of fish in the lake."
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answered May 14 '12 at 02:13
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