a lot vs lots
A lot and lots are two expressions used in the English language with some difference although they are considered interchangeable. It is important to know that the expression ‘a lot’ is often used to modify comparatives as in the sentence ‘He looked a lot happier’. In the sentence you can see that the word ‘a lot’ is used to modify the comparative called happier.
‘Lots’ on the other hand is used in affirmative sentences such as ‘The team has played lots of matches this season’ and ‘David has won lots of prizes when he was in school’. In both the sentences you can see that the expression ‘lots’ is used in the affirmative sense. In the same way the expression ‘a lot’ is also used in affirmative sentences such as ‘Ms. Angelina writes a lot’ and ‘a lot of my relatives have predicted that I will pass the final examination with distinction.’
In both the sentences given above you can find that the expression ‘a lot’ is used in the affirmative. You can see from all the sentences given above that the expressions ‘a lot’ and ‘lots’ are often followed by the preposition ‘of’. At the same time ‘a lot’ can be used with uncountable singular or plural words.
It is interesting to note that ‘a lot’ has the verb in plural when it is used with a plural word as in the sentence ‘A lot of people were invited to attend the wedding’. In this sentence the expression ‘a lot’ has the plural verb ‘were’ when it is used with a plural word, namely ‘people’ in this case.
In the same way when the expression ‘lots’ is used with a singular word, the verb too remains in singular as in the example, ‘There is lots of information to be known’. Observe the usage of the verb ‘is’ in singular when the expression ‘lots’ is used with a singular word, namely, information.