Costentin Cornomorus wrote:
>--- David Barrow <davidab@...>
>wrote:
>
>
>
>>You can if you know how : -)
>>
>>
>
>Since they have the same form, this is made
>difficult. It's like with the a- prefix. Which of
>the half dozen antecedants it really represents
>is cloudy.
>
>
>
>>both gerund an present participle end in -ing
>>but present participle originally ended in
>>-ende
>>
>>
>
>Yeah. If we still retained the distinction here,
>the task would be much simpler.
>
>
You snipped my explanation, but to summarise if you can use it as a noun
it's a gerund
>
>
>>>Except I don't understand it as a noun there,
>>>exactly: not "a lot". It doesn't make any
>>>sense
>>>to me that way. Hm.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>What do you understand it as?
>>
>>
>
>Um. Not exactly a noun. I know what "lots" are,
>they're nouns. I'm a little less certain of what
>"alot" is, though.
>
>Padraic.
>
I don't know what alot is either I couldn't find it in my dictionary :- )
Would you have a problem with 'one lot''
a = one
David Barrow