Thanks a lot

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Thanks a lot

by Mitra Aria
(Iran )

Yesterday a student asked me about "Thanks a lot". What is this phrase grammatically?. Thanks is a verb? a noun? is it an abbreviation or something?
Desperately needing your reply ,
Aria

Hi Aria, This is an expression or response that people make when they appreciate what others have done for them. "Thanks" alone is another way of saying "thank you" and "a lot" refers to a large amount. You must be careful with this expression because the meaning can change greatly if you are saying it sarcastically.

I hope that helps. In response you could say, "thanks a lot for your help".

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Thanks a lot

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Jan 08, 2011

My question...
by: MITRA ARIA

Thank you very much for your nice reply dear, but as I said I do not seek the meaning. I am an english teacher and I want to know the grammatical construction of the phrase (or sentence). Like "Let's go" is "Let Us Go" (Verb+ Object+ Verb)
thnk you in advance.

Hi Mitra, I didn´t really answer your question did I. Sorry about that. Here is an answer that might help you more ;)

First I must tell you that it was actually quite difficult to figure out and I had to refer to my favourite grammar book by Michael Swan.

Thanks a lot

Thanks = (an informal exclamation)
a lot = A form of determiner (like "a little" or "a few") that means "a large amount".

So "thanks a lot" = (informal exclamation) + (determiner).

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