Using Lots of / A lot of

In spoken English we often use lots of or a lot of. In written English, it is more common to write many (for countable plural nouns) or a great deal of (for uncountable nouns) in positive statements.

A common mistake is to use lot of. For example, "There are lot of accidents on this road". To avoid making this mistake, remember either to use a before lot, or to make lot plural - lots.

We can say either a lot of or lots of before a noun. For example, "There are a lot of people here" or "There are lots of people here". There isn't any difference between the two expressions.

We can also use a lot as an adverb to say how much you do something. For example, "She talks a lot".

A lot is also used in short answers. For example, "Do you like swimming?", "Yes, a lot."

Using Few / Little

We use a few and a little to mean "not very much" or "not very many". Whether you use a few or a little depends on what type of noun you are describing.

For example, "A few people came to the party." We use a few with plural, countable nouns.

"There's a little coffee left, if you would like some." We use a little with uncountable nouns.

We can also use few and little (without "a") for a more negative meaning. For example, "there's little point in calling" (= there's not much point calling).

"Few people understand" (not many people understand), compared to "a few people understand" (some people understand).

In spoken English, we can also say not many, or only a few to mean "few" and "only a little" or "not much" to mean "little".

When we make comparisons, we use fewer for plural nouns and less for uncountable nouns.
For example, "There are fewer people here than last year" or "he drinks less coffee than I do".