Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sleeper]

Hi, there.

Look at the following sentence:

'There are a lot of his concerts all around the world.'

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

In my opinion, 'a lot of' cannot be followed by possessives,
so the sentence should be:
'There are a lot of concerts of his all around the world.'

What do you think?

I'm waiting for your answers.

Thanks.

[Eric Thompson]

Yes, Sleeper, your revised sentence is better than the first. It's a step in the right direction, which leads to a sentence like, 'He has many concerts all around the world.' This is simpler and more direct. The 'has' could be replaced by 'plays', 'performs', 'holds', 'conducts', etc. OK?

[lotus]

Hi sleeper,

Yes, your revision and Eric's suggestions are better. But, be careful when saying possessives (possessive pronouns) cannot follow "a lot of."

A lot of his friends were in that building on 9/11.
Many of his friends died that day on 9/11.

A lot of his relatives were at the party.
Many of his relatives were at the party.

A lot of their hopes rested on that single performance.
Much of their hopes rested on that single performance.

A lot of his colleagues might say that both sentences are equally good.
Many of his colleagues might say that both sentences are equally good.


--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda

[Eric Thompson]

Dear Lotus, A lot of the awkwardness of Sleeper's sentences is in the convoluted "There are..." construction, which we both didn't specifically address in our replies. Maybe you could mention that to him, or her, or it.--Eric

[myprofe]

[Eric Thompson]

Dear My profe, But you can't analogously compare concerts and books. Intangible vs. tangible. There's a difference. Go looking for one of his concerts "there" at any one time, and you aren't likely to find one. Books are always '"there".--Eric

[myprofe]

You're right. It's a bad example. I was just trying to show that sleeper's conclusion:

[lotus]

Hi sleeper,

"There are" is an expletive which does not contribute significantly to the sentence. Most grammarians consider this a weak introductory phrase to be avoided when possible. This may, in part, be the cause of the awkwardness of your sentence. Take away "there are" (with some editing) and you will get better sentences as suggested.

Although the expletive in this case may be unnecessary, there are times when it can be appropriate.

http://onelook.com/?w=expletive&ls=a
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861609881

http://www.basic-learning.com/wbwt/tip136.htm

http://www.mccallie.org/clatham/prose_style.htm

http://web.cwoc.ufl.edu/owl/OWLglossaryCopy.html



--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda

[beancurdturtle]

[nawee]

Lotus,

Can you explain why you use "much" with "hopes" in the example you gave?

"Much of their hopes rested on..."

Thank you,

Nawee

[lotus]

Hi Nawee,

A clearer example might be:

Much of their hopes for success rested (depended) on that single performance.

This sentence might describe a company of stage actors in their first performance -- with critics on hand in the audience.

"Much" as a quantifier modifies non-count nouns (much happiness). "Hopes" is not really a countable noun. It's more like a concept, akin to "hopes and dreams." And, "hopes for success" is not really countable either. As well, we can use "much" in lieu of "a lot" in more formal settings. "A lot" can quantify both countable and non-countable nouns.

A lot of what has been said was either wrong or misconstrued.
Much of what has been said was either wrong or misconstrued.

Some might use hope instead of hopes to indicate their collective hope for success.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/determiners/determiners.htm#quantifiers


--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda