Mekita Rivas, SNR communications associate, publishes a biweekly feature called "Grammar Guru."
Every other week, the Grammar Guru will share writing tips to help make your work as polished as possible. Some of these tips may address common spelling errors, while others will examine the many nuances of the English language.
Grammar Guru Tip #49
First thing's first: "alot" is not a word. If you want to say that someone has a vast number of things, you would say they have "a lot" of things. "A lot" is always two words.
"Allot" means to give or apportion something to someone as a share or task. It can also mean to appropriate for a special purpose.
Example:
You have a lot of work to do. Maybe you should allot some time tomorrow to make sure everything gets done.
Need some grammar guidance? The UNL Style Guide (http://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/) is a great resource for all university employees. If you have writing questions that the style guide doesn't answer, feel free to email the Grammar Guru at mrivas@unl.edu.