There is a group of expressions of quantity that can be singular or plural depending on the prepositional phrase that follows.  These words are: plenty, lots, a lot, all, some, most, a great deal, none, (fractions) and (percentages.)  If the noun in the prepositional phrase is a countable word that is plural, then the expression of quantity is plural and the verb is also plural.  If the noun in the prepositional phrase is an uncountable word, which cannot be made plural, then the expression of quantity is singular and the verb is also singular.  Look at these examples:

Plenty of   

Plenty of patience is required for this job..
(‘patience‘ is uncountable, which makes plenty singular, so the verb is singular.)

Plenty of spare parts are kept in the garage.
(‘spare parts‘ is countable, which makes plenty plural, so the verb is plural.)

Plenty of the food I have eaten was unhealthy.
(‘food’ is uncountable, which makes plenty singular, so the verb is singular.)

Plenty of my friends know it’s my birthday.
(‘friends’ is countable, which makes plenty plural, so the verb is plural.)

(WRONG:  Plenty food …)

Lots of / A lot of   

Lots (A lot) of money changes hands at a market.  (‘money’ is uncountable.)

Lots (A lot) of people change their minds.  (‘people’ is countable.)

Lots (A lot) of the information we received was too late.  (‘information is uncountable.)

Lots (A lot) of his jokes were not very funny.  (‘jokes’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Lots food, A lot food …)

All

All mammals produce milk .  (‘mammals’ is countable.)

All of the work needs to be redone.  (‘work’ is uncountable.)

All of our answers were right.  (‘answers’ is countable)

(WRONG:  All of work …)

Some 

Some students have exams next week.  (‘students’ is countable.)

Some of the time passes quickly.  (‘time’ is uncountable.)

Some of the police cars were parked in the driveway.  (‘police cars’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Some of vehicles …)

Most

Most people in Europe speak more than one language.  (‘people’ is countable.)

Most of his advice is very good.  (‘advice’ is uncountable.)

Most of the students I know have smart phones.  (‘students’ is countable.)

(WRONG:  Most of people …)

A great deal of 

A great deal of energy gets lost in exercise.  (‘energy’ is uncountable.)

A great deal of hikers get lost in the mountains.  (‘hikers’ is countable.)

A great deal of our time was spent fishing.  (‘time’ is uncountable.)

A great deal of the products we use come from Asia.  (‘products’ is countable.)

None of 

None of the advice is good.  (‘advice’ is uncountable.)

None of his solutions seem to work.  (‘solutions’ is countable.)

(NOTE: In British English, “none” is considered singular no matter what follows.)

(WRONG:  None advice …)  (but “No advice” is correct)

(WRONG:  None of advice …)

Fractions and percentages have the same grammar:

Two thirds of the test was based on the textbook.  (‘test’ is singular.)

Three quarters of the students were prepared for the test.  (‘students’ is plural.)

Sixty percent of the land is desert.  (‘land’ is singular.)

Eighty percent of the towns are located along the coast.  (‘towns’ is plural.)

A way to remember these words is to remember PLASMAN.  This is what the first letters of all these words spell.  P= plenty, L= lots/ a lot, A= all, S= some, M= most, A= a great deal, N= none

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

The following expressions of quantity ALWAYS take a singular verb:

Much:                        Not much gas is needed for the trip.

Much of                   Much of the forest was burned.

Little                          Little time is left to complete the project.

Little of                    Little of the water they had was wasted.

A little                       A little more studying is needed.

A little bit of           A little bit of snow was covering the grass.

A bit of                      A bit of salt is necessary to improve the taste.

Each                           Each person was told a different story.

Each of                     Each of the participants was given a T-shirt.

Every                         Every person in the class is invited to the party.

Every one of           Every one of his trophies was destroyed in the fire.

One                             One time is not enough.

One of                       One of your reasons was just an excuse.

The following expressions of quantity ALWAYS take a plural verb:

Many                         Many people are homeless.

Many of                   Many of the songs we heard were foreign.

Few                            Few students are still in school at 5:00.

Few of                       Few of the magazines on the table were new.

A few                         A few garden plants were still alive in December.

A few of                   A few of our guests are staying an extra night.

A number of         A number of details were overlooked.

The number of    The number of errors was unacceptable.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot