In Singular verbs^x, Nouns^x

Let me quote from 'Fowler's Modern English Usage'. The expression a number of + plural noun as in a number of people NORMALLY takes a plural verb in both BrE and AmE, because the plural noun is regarded as the 'head' of the noun phrase and therefore as the real subject: A number of books by...

Number. Like other collective nouns number may take either a singular or a plural verb. Unlike most of them, it admits of a simple and logical rule. When all that it is doing is forming part of a composite plural subject, it should have a plural verb, as in: A large number of people are...

A number of + plural noun + plural verb form The number of + plural noun + singular verb form

Before you go too far, Mr. P, would you care to comment on the side issues that has come up? The use of a singular verb when there is a compound subject of gerunds or abstract nouns?

Yoong Liat,I found this part which might be of interest.Under notional agreement - "Similarly, there are some nouns like mumps and news that are plural in form but take a singular verb: The mumps was once a common childhood disease. Amounts often take a singular verb: Ten thousand bucks is a lot...

Thanks, Marius. I will keep this rule in mind. What I am puzzled by, however, is the fact that either of the examples you gave me doesn't refer exactly to the sentence I gave.In your first example, we deal with proper names, no articles there, and in the second one, with one noun in plural and...

Hi Magda, Technically, you should use "are" because you have two things there. But it may sound a little off, because the noun that is right next to the verb is singular. To make it both sound correct as well as be correct, you could rewrite: "He doesn't even know what adjectives and adverbs are."

Help doesn't take an "s" as a noun, and it takes a singular verb.

Hiops wrote:1.Why do you think this is right?Why you think this is right?2. Thre is a lot of books on the shelf. Thre are a lot of books on the shelf. The phrase 'a lot of' means 'many'. That's why you should say 'There are a lot of ..." But if you use 'a lot of' with an uncountable noun, then...

Well guys, looks like every one here goes witha singular verb but American Heritage says it should be have. Actually I saw this sentence in Americam Heritage but couldn't figure out why is it so. Following is the passage; Every is representative of a large class of English words and...