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Try to avoid using "a lot" in formal writing, or in any situation where you're trying to
impress someone. It simply does not convey much about your eloquence, and the perception of
such is actually hardly conscious.
Take the following examples, and just see how they sound better, more refined, when "a lot" is
replaced by other simple words:
a lot vs. long
"It takes a lot of time" vs. "It takes a long time"
a lot vs. much
"It doesn't take a lot of strength" vs. "It doesn't take much strength"
a lot vs. many
"I've seen a lot of them" vs. "I've seen many of them"
Other popular variants (rather than the simple "long", "much", and "many"), include some words
that are a little more complicated. They're only complicated because it's hard to use them in a
way in which they won't sound too arrogant or overdone. They're also somewhat exaggerated, so
they might not always be a viable replacement:
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