The complex adverbial phrase ‘a lot‘ means something like: ‘very’, ‘much’ ‘to a large degree.’
‘a lot’ can modify comparative adjectives or adverbs. It can intensify their degree.
Here are a few sentences to understand how we make ‘stronger’ comparisons with predicative adjectives:
Notice that the adjective comes after a linking verb (BE) and not before a noun.
- It is easy.
- It is very easy. (easy to a large degree)
- It is easier. (comparison)
- It is a lot easier. (easier to a large degree or ‘much’ easier)
Here’s the top 100 list of the grammar construction “Verb + a lot + comparative adjective”
from a search in the iWeb corpus for _v* a lot _jjr* :
1 ‘S A LOT EASIER 3509
collocates 4 to the left and right: 1 THAN (CSN ) 2585
2 DONE (VDN ) 162
3 SOUNDS (VVZ ) 61
2 IS A LOT EASIER 3189
3 BE A LOT EASIER 2427
4 IS A LOT CHEAPER 1823
1 THAN (CSN ) 928
2 BUYING (VVG ) 47
3 BUY (VVI ) 24
5 DO A LOT WORSE 1402 (incorrectly tagged by claws7, this is an adverb)
6 BE A LOT CHEAPER 1233
7 BEEN A LOT WORSE 1223
8 BE A LOT WORSE 990
9 ‘S A LOT HARDER 988
10 IS A LOT SMALLER 898
11 IS A LOT BIGGER 893
12 IS A LOT HARDER 881
13 IS A LOT HIGHER 879
14 TAKE A LOT LONGER 864 (modifying an adverb)
If you wanna find out, it‘s gonna take a lot longer than five minutes.
15 BE A LOT HIGHER 804
16 ARE A LOT EASIER 803
17 ‘S A LOT CHEAPER 783
18 ARE A LOT CHEAPER 780
19 BE A LOT HARDER 770
20 WAS A LOT EASIER 670
21 BE A LOT HAPPIER 650
22 GET A LOT WORSE 642
23 IS A LOT LOWER 601
24 IS A LOT SIMPLER 599
25 TAKES A LOT LONGER 576
26 BE A LOT BETTER 511
27 IS A LOT STRONGER 466
28 IS A LOT BETTER 463
29 IS A LOT WORSE 453
30 BE A LOT LOWER 424
31 BE A LOT SIMPLER 395
32 ARE A LOT HIGHER 390
33 BE A LOT BIGGER 387
34 WAS A LOT CHEAPER 383
35 ARE A LOT BIGGER 366
36 ARE A LOT SMALLER 350
37 BE A LOT SMALLER 335
38 IS A LOT LIGHTER 326
39 WAS A LOT YOUNGER 325
40 IS A LOT TOUGHER 296
41 WAS A LOT BIGGER 293
42 WAS A LOT SMALLER 284
43 GOT A LOT WORSE 283
44 BECOMES A LOT EASIER 281
45 ARE A LOT WORSE 279
46 BE A LOT STRONGER 278
47 BE A LOT TOUGHER 276
You must be a lot tougher than you look.
48 IS A LOT LARGER 276
49 ‘S A LOT BETTER 275
50 ARE A LOT HARDER 270
51 GO A LOT SMOOTHER 264
52 IS A LOT SHORTER 261
53 ARE A LOT BETTER 250
54 IS A LOT NICER 249
55 HAVE A LOT BETTER 243
56 ARE A LOT STRONGER 239
57 WAS A LOT HARDER 238
58 WAS A LOT WORSE 235
59 TOOK A LOT LONGER 227
60 ‘S A LOT BIGGER 221
61 ARE A LOT LOWER 214
62 BEEN A LOT EASIER 211
63 GET A LOT BETTER 211
64 ARE A LOT SMARTER 210
65 WORK A LOT HARDER 208
66 BECOME A LOT EASIER 203
67 ‘S A LOT SIMPLER 202
68 LOOKS A LOT NICER 198
69 IS A LOT QUIETER 192
70 BE A LOT SHORTER 191
71 IS A LOT CLEANER 188
72 LOOK A LOT NICER 184
73 GET A LOT BIGGER 183
74 IS A LOT SMOOTHER 181
75 IS A LOT HEAVIER 176
76 WAS A LOT HIGHER 175
77 ‘S A LOT WORSE 166
78 IS A LOT OLDER 164
79 GOT A LOT BIGGER 163
80 IS A LOT THINNER 163
81 BE A LOT NICER 158
82 DO A LOT BETTER 157
83 ‘S A LOT TOUGHER 154
84 IS A LOT SMARTER 153
85 WAS A LOT SIMPLER 150
86 ARE A LOT TOUGHER 148
87 IS A LOT DARKER 147
88 RUN A LOT SMOOTHER 146
89 ‘S A LOT SMALLER 143
90 WAS A LOT BETTER 143
91 BE A LOT COOLER 142
92 FEEL A LOT BETTER 142
93 IS A LOT HEALTHIER 141
94 WAS A LOT TOUGHER 141
95 BE A LOT CLEARER 139
96 IS A LOT SOFTER 138
97 BE A LOT SMARTER 137
98 IS A LOT THICKER 135
99 GETS A LOT WORSE 134
100 WAS A LOT STRONGER 134
B1 comparative adjectives:
smarter, smoother, thicker
B2:
tougher