student asking question

I think just using "lot" makes sense, but why did the speaker used both "lot" and "more"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. "More" is being used here to show contrast and comparison. So compared to other items there were more that had a good profit margin than those that didn't. “A lot more” is actually an informal form. It has the advantage that it can be used both with things that are counted and with things that are measured. “Much more” and “many more” are formal alternatives but they are used with measurable things or counted things respectively. Ex: We need a lot more sugar than this. = We need much more sugar than this. Ex: I think he has a lot more eggs. = I think he has many more eggs. So you will hear "a lot more" quite frequently in an casual conversation. It can act either as an adverb or an adjective and is used for comparison. Ex: I have been traveling a lot more than I expected. (Compared to what I expected) Ex: I have been taking a lot more business trips this year. (Compared to other years)

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