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Frank Erskine
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:30 am
Post subject: Plurality |
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When we talk about "a few", "a lot" or "a number of", are we talking
singular or plural?
Should we say, for example, that "there are a lot of
people.......(whatever)", or "there is a lot of
people.......(whatever)"?
To my mind "a" suggests the singular, but common useage seems to imply
otherwise.
Very likely this has been discussed before, but I've only recently
discovered this newsgroup :-)
TIA -
--
Frank Erskine
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sum1else
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:30 am
Post subject: Re: Plurality |
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frank.erskine@btinternet.com wrote:
| Quote: |
Should we say, for example, that "there are a lot of
people.......(whatever)", or "there is a lot of
people.......(whatever)"?
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I'd think that "a lot" is a single item, literally speaking, so it
should be right to say 'is a lot'.
But I think I almost always say 'there are a lot of people " in
my daily casual, unthinking speech.
Maybe I'll stick to "there are loads of people who ... "!
--
Ian |
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David
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 3:20 am
Post subject: Re: Plurality |
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In article <3belo054i82va3loodbf1101898q3gberk@4ax.com>, Frank Erskine
<frank.erskine@btinternet.com> wrote:
| Quote: | When we talk about "a few", "a lot" or "a number of", are we talking
singular or plural?
Should we say, for example, that "there are a lot of
people.......(whatever)", or "there is a lot of
people.......(whatever)"?
To my mind "a" suggests the singular, but common useage seems to
imply otherwise.
Very likely this has been discussed before, but I've only recently
discovered this newsgroup :-)
TIA
|
Maria?
A lot is undeniably singular but people are indisputably plural.
US (or, as they like to say, American) "English" generally would use
the singular but English English would use the plural.
Or, to put it another way, would you prefer to hear "a lot of people
says you should use is" or "a lot of people say you should use are"?
--
http://www.dacha.freeuk.com/mavic/0m03-0.htm
Crackpot
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einde. ocallaghan
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:36 am
Post subject: Re: Plurality |
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sum1else wrote:
| Quote: | frank.erskine@btinternet.com wrote:
Should we say, for example, that "there are a lot of
people.......(whatever)", or "there is a lot of
people.......(whatever)"?
I'd think that "a lot" is a single item, literally speaking, so it
should be right to say 'is a lot'.
But I think I almost always say 'there are a lot of people " in
my daily casual, unthinking speech.
Maybe I'll stick to "there are loads of people who ... "!
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The phrase a "a lot of" (or also "lots of") is a quantifier meaning
"much2 or "many". Whether the verb is singular or plural when the phrase
with "a lot of xxxx" or "lots of xxxx" depends on whether the noun (or
pronoun) represented by "xxxx" is singular or plural. So:
"A lot of people were interested." or "Lots of people were interested."
and
"A lot of money was collected." or "Lots of money was collected."
REgards, Einde O'Callaghan |
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