Job Discussion Forums

[hereinbeijing]

Is there anything wrong with the following sentence: "I never drink a lot of water."

[markholmes]

What does the rest of the conversation look like?

It looks a bit odd on its own, but I wouldn't say it was grammatical incorrect.

What the context?

[BigWally]

I'm pretty sure that grammatically it is correct. Although there should be a 2nd sentence explaining the true statement.

(ie. I never drink a lot of water. I sometimes drink a little water.) Or something along those lines.

"never" is a time modifier, which explains how often you're doing something. Typically, we use the word "any" for the amount modifier for "never" because most EFL speakers automatically speak in this logical way.

(ie.Q: Do you ever drink water? A: I never drink any water. I always drink soda.)

Where a ESL speaker may ask, or speak in a more round about way, although still correct.

(ie. Q: Do you often drink a lot of water? A: I never drink a lot of water. I sometimes drink a little water)

Secondly, "a lot of" is the amount modifier for "water" since it is an uncountable noun. If you're not talking about a specific amount (ex. 1 bottle, 3 cups, etc.) then you can use "a lot of", "some", "much", "a little", etc. and the sentence, although sounding weird, still is correct.

I sometimes drink a lot of water.

I always drink a lot of water.

I never drink a lot of water.

I never drink much water.

I always drink a little water.

[BigGuy]

Yes-- the form is correct.