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ESL forum >
Ask for help > SOMETIMES..
SOMETIMES..
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pauguzman
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SOMETIMES..
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I HATE WHEN THIS HAPPENS TO ME ....
How do you say..?
THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE.....
THANKS....  |
1 Jun 2009
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liverpuliana
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There are a lot of people because the word people is plural.
Hope this helps.
Inma |
1 Jun 2009
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Abdelhadi
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Dear pauguzman
You should always take into consideration that the verb �to be � in this type of sentences always follows the grammatical category of the noun in the sentence.
Well, the noun in your sentence is "people", but what is its grammatical category? Is it singular or plural?
Most plural nouns in English have an �-s � at the end. These nouns are regular nouns.
For example:
cat ----------- cats
flower ------- flowers
But can we have a plural noun without adding an �s �? Yes, we can. That �s because some nouns in English are irregular. For example:
person ---------- people (or persons)
man -------------- men
woman ---------- women
So you should just learn the list of irregular nouns in English so that you can use a suitable form of the verb to be when using the noun in a sentence.
I guess what made you feel more confused is the quantifier "a lot of" because it can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns. I think you wouldn �t do that mistake if for example you had the quantifier "many" because you would know that you should "are" and not "is".
You could have played a little with the words though. For example, you could have said:
- A lot of people are there.
- There are a lot of people there.
But then learning the irregular nouns in English would be the best thing to do soon.
Have a good night
Abdelhadi
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1 Jun 2009
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tricia973
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As I was taught and even when "people" IS a plural word.. and you have to say "people are"... in this case it �s "There IS A LOT OF people" "lot" is singular
Just in case I �ve searched the net and see what I �ve found about this:
"The subject in this sentence is lot - not two lots, but a lot. There is a lot, just like there is a bird. The confusion stems from prepositional phrase that modifies the subject. What kind of lot is it? It is a lot of people. It could also be a lot of food, of cars,of emotion or of emotions, but the subject, lot, is still singular and thus must agree with the singular verb is, not are.
It is not proper English to say, "There are a set of dishes;" rather, "There is a set of dishes". Just the same, "There is a lot of people."
That said, correct English grammar is unfortunately still defined by common usage, and so I believe the technically incorrect wording "There are a lot of people" has become accepted and even, regrettably, correct. In other words, so many people have used and continue to use it improperly that the improper has become proper."
at
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1 Jun 2009
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alien boy
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I really hate it when people say that �unfortunately common usage isn�t the same as correct grammar� & things to that effect!
The rules defined in prescriptive grammar were not actually based on how English was used by people, even at the time that they were devised. These rules were influenced by Latin, Greek & French as distinct from English & were developed by an elite for the elite...
& please note - there are 2 forms of grammar (to generalise wildly):
1. prescriptive - the so called "correct rules"
2. descriptive - the way English is actually used, which will vary greatly from person to person even within the one community!
The �ideals� of prescriptive grammar as applied to Standard Englishes (yes, there is more than 1 Standard English) are very useful for teaching the language to both native & non native speakers... but spoken English is rarely �standard� in form. It �s a much better guide for written business documents & academic writing.
There�s actually absolutely nothing wrong with how people speak their own language... the problem is more with the judgement of other elitists.
English is in a constant state of change. If you doubt this all you need do is compare literature (whether it be stories, lyrics or even correspondence) over time. The English of today is different to that of my parents� generation & markedly different from 100 years ago. Grammarians really started to codify English in the early-mid 18th century... more than 200 years ago! Have any of you read English from the time period? It�s really very different to contemporary language. Should "grammar rules" be the same as a now outmoded form of language? As a native speaker, I don�t believe they should. As stated earlier, the rules were devised by/for an elite group so they could tell everyone else how & what they should be saying (the control freaks!).
SO please, don�t say something is �bad � or �unfortunate � in a language because that is the way actual native speakers use it!
Good morning all!
AB
p.s. I liked your post Abdelhadi!
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2 Jun 2009
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Abdelhadi
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Dear Tricia
There is a whole difference between "There is a set of dishes" and "There is a lot of people."
the quantifier "a lot of" is used with both countable and uncountable nouns and it means either "many or much". When it means "many", the verb to be should be plural "are", but when it means "much", the verb to be should be singular "is". That is to say, the verb to be when used with "a lot of" should agree with the category of the noun in the sentence, so we say: "There are a lot of bananas/people/cars.. not There is a lot of bananas/people/cars," etc. whether the noun is regular or irregular.
As for the expression "a set of"=(a group of similar things), the verb to be when used with this expression is usually singular since it refers to "a group of...". For example, we say: "There is a set of chairs/books/dishes ... not ... There are a set of chairs/books/dishes".
I hope this is clear
Abdelhadi
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2 Jun 2009
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pauguzman
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thanks "a lot"  for your answers Abdelhadi, Tricia and AB. after reading your posts I decided to write the plural form...
warm regards, PAULA |
2 Jun 2009
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