very
a lot
Common sense is very uncommon.
Il buon senso è molto raro.
– Horace Greeley
– Horace Greeley
✓ The components are very light.
✗ The components are *a lot* light.
I componenti sono molto leggeri.
We use very, not a lot, before an adjective or adverb. Some more examples:
✓ It’s very difficult to imagine. (very + adjective)
✗ It’s *a lot* difficult to imagine.
E’ molto difficile da immaginare.
✓ She speaks very quickly. (very + adverb)
✗ She speaks *a lot* quickly.
Parla molto velocemente.
We can use a lot with an adverbial function at the end of a sentence:
✓ She speaks a lot.
Parla molto.
One final note: many native speakers of English (and some students) mistakenly write *alot* instead of a lot. Here’s a good example!
Now try the quiz below! There are FIVE answers. The pass mark is 100% (5 out of 5). Click on the blue arrows to go to the next or previous question. You can check your answers immediately or when you’ve finished the quiz.