A lot / very much

[Emanuelli]

Good morning teachers and experts...

Please, can you tell me if I can use "a lot" and "very much" in the same way??? Both are adverbs to intensify, aren't they?

Example: He studies a lot / very much.
She works a lot / very much.

Thank you very much!

[Tdol]

Yep, though 'a lot' is not used much in formal language.