Phrase
a lot of
verb
许多；大量
a large amount or number of; many
许多的
In use
She spent a lot of time practicing the piano.
There are a lot of students waiting outside the classroom.
We need a lot of water for the trip.
a lot of + plural countable noun
There are a lot of books on the table.
桌子上有许多书。
a lot of + uncountable noun
She drinks a lot of water every day.
她每天喝许多水。
a lot of + plural pronoun
后接复数代词如us, them, you等。
A lot of us agree with the decision.
我们许多人同意这个决定。
Common mistakes
There is a lot of books on the table.There are a lot of books on the table.
当"a lot of"后接可数名词复数时，谓语动词应用复数形式（are），而不用单数（is）。因为"a lot of"本身不决定动词数，名词的数决定。
I like it a lot of.I like it a lot.
"a lot"是副词短语，表示"非常"；而"a lot of"是限定词，后必须接名词。此处需要副词，故用"a lot"而非"a lot of"。
Connections
Dictionary facts from ECDICT.