a lot of noise/noises

[joham]

There is a lot of noise outside now.
There are a lot of noises outside now.

Is the second sentence correct too? If it is, then what's the difference between them?


Many thanks.

 

[joham]

I searched the google books, and found 118,000 results for 'there was a lot of noise' and only 128 results for 'there were a lot of noises'. But I don't know if the latter is correct or not and what is the difference between them.

Hoping to get help from you. Thank you again.

 

[Barb_D]

You are thinking of different types of noises. Sirens. Dogs barking. Trash cans being emptied.

However, collectively, they are all "noise" so the first is more natural.