ENGLISH
REFERENCE

a great deal of sth

fixed phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. a large amount of something. You use this with things you cannot count, like time, money, or effort.

fixed phr.. a quantifier used to indicate a large quantity or high degree of an uncountable noun; functions as a more formal alternative to 'a lot of'.


SIMPLE

He spends a great deal of time playing video games.

CONTEXTUAL

The project required a great deal of effort from everyone on the team to finish on time.

COMPLEX

The diplomat's memoirs reveal a great deal of information regarding the secret negotiations that preceded the treaty.

Usage

Almost exclusively used with uncountable nouns rather than plural countable nouns.

Teaching tip

remind students that while 'a lot of' works for both countable and uncountable nouns, 'a great deal of' is restricted to uncountable nouns and sounds more professional.

Pitfall

a great deal of peoplea great deal of moneythis phrase is for uncountable nouns; use 'a great many' or 'a large number of' for people.

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