Is there a preferred or more common usage between the phrase "with a ton of xxx" or "with tons of xxx"? Both referring to something having an abundance of something.
asked Aug 11, 2015 at 21:13
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"tons of" is more common.– Mohamed HamzaCommented Aug 11, 2015 at 21:16
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3If you're English, perhaps with a smidge more X. If you're a New Yorker, with a ton of X. If you're a Valley Girl, with like a billion tons of X, or whatever.– chosterCommented Aug 11, 2015 at 21:19
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1What does your research show?– Edwin AshworthCommented Aug 11, 2015 at 21:37
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the second phrase is just more emphatic. You said it yourself, abundance, and more than one ton would be even more abundant, overabundant.– dockeryZCommented Aug 12, 2015 at 1:19
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3 Answers
answered Aug 11, 2015 at 22:09
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That only shows that people more often ship tons of things than a single ton of it.– tchrist ♦Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 22:22
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1@thmj1332 that's the first times I've ever seen Ngam chart look that. It's very clear. How did you manage to compress the dates, and resize the text? Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 10:32
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1@Mari-Lou A, you just need to shrink the size of your browser window and then click Refresh. In this way, the text size is larger relative to the overall size of the graph. I wish more people knew this! Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 17:04
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1@thomj1332 that is nothing short of b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t. Oh, I might even retrace all my old answers and use this ingenious workaround on my Ngram charts. mind "explodes" Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 17:08
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@Mari-Lou A and all, Yes. Good idea. And, it doesn't have to be the original author who makes the changes. If folks want to go back and edit any previous illegible Ngram graphs with the better visualization, you get +2 credits for each one! I just did it on this one to see how it was received. Glad it is appreciated. Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 17:13
Yes, they are interchangeable, but here's how I usually use them:
A ton of: countable objects.
Tons of: uncountable objects.
Such-and-so candidate for mayor has tons of charm, but is a little light on the issues. Explanation: charm isn't countable.
She's already got a ton of stuffed animals, let's get her something else for her birthday. Explanation: the stuffed animals are countable.
(Yes, you could also say tons of stuffed animals.)
answered Aug 12, 2015 at 13:06
The use of "tons of something" by LONGMAN Dictionary is given in URL.
tons of "something"
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/tons-of-something
Therefore, the phrase of "tons of ..." also supports both countable plural noun and uncountable singular noun.