zmjezhd hits that one, but I can say that, based on what I hear daily, "mad" can mean
both "a lot" and "very". This student was objecting to the "very" interpretation...
Doesn't work for me.
1a. He had to buy a lot of books.
1b. *He had to buy very of books.
1c. He had to buy many books.
2a. She drinks a lot.
2b. *She drinks very.
2c. She drinks much.
3a. The books are very red.
3b. *The books are a lot red.
Now, far be it from to question the Big Z, but isn't 2a. incomplete? Shouldn't it specify what the "lot" consists of? If it did, you could use
mad with all of them:
4a. He had to buy mad books
4b. She drinks mad _____. (beer, whatever)(although I have heard, brace yourselves, "mad lot"...)
4c. The books are mad red.
I kinda like it because it is broad. There is a word in Spanish that can mean any of the following:
there is, there are, is there? are there? and it's one of my favorites for the same reason. :0)
OP
