As a noun and adverb, a lot is frequently misspelled as alot.
Examples from the web for a lot
In my last week in the apartment, I spent a lot of time packing and watching.
There were a lot of things in the office.
At the same time, a lot of planting was going on.
Suites are great, but sitting closer to the action is a lot better as a sports fan.
We could've gone a lot faster.
It won't be perfect, but it will be a lot better.
We hear kids aren't cheap, and they stay that way, so she didn't want to spend a lot.
Not to mention that you have to weed around those things and end up getting poked a lot, too.
We've spent a lot of time with our chickens, and we're pretty sure that they don't recognize us.
So even if it has twice that many in distribution, that is a lot of e-book buying by a small number of people.
Idioms and Phrases with a lot
a lot
Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining, or Sad movies always made her cry a lot. It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class. It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone, or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected. [ ; early 1800s ]