ENGLISH
REFERENCE

loads of sb/sth

fixed phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. a large amount or number of people or things. You use this in casual conversation when you want to say 'a lot'.

fixed phr.. a quantifier phrase used to denote a large quantity or high frequency; functions as a colloquial synonym for 'a lot of' or 'plenty of'.


SIMPLE

I have loads of work to do today.

CONTEXTUAL

There were loads of people at the concert, so we couldn't get near the stage.

COMPLEX

Despite having loads of evidence to support his theory, the scientist struggled to convince his more traditional colleagues.

Usage

Highly informal and used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Teaching tip

encourage students to use this in speaking to sound more natural, but warn them to avoid it in formal academic essays where 'a great deal of' or 'numerous' is preferred.

Pitfall

I have a load of friends here.I have loads of friends here.while 'a load of' exists, the plural 'loads of' is the standard idiomatic way to express 'many' in British and Australian English.

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