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The first 3 of 9 cards
count it, then check the verb
A quantifier is a small word with big rules. It must fit the noun, and it often decides the verb too.
Most of peopleneeds 'the' after 'of' agree that much carscars can be counted cause congestion, and each driver haveeach → has a different reason.
Fixed: most people · many cars · has
and the quantifier picks the verb
| Noun | Quantifiers | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Plural: cars | many, few, fewer | plural |
| Uncountable: traffic | much, little, less | singular |
| Either kind | a lot of, some, most, all | matches noun |
| One at a time | each, every, another | singular |
| Exactly two | both | plural |
Fewer cars, less traffic. Time, money and distance count as one amount: less than three years.
number, amount, deal, majority
| Phrase | Then | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| a large number of | plural noun | plural |
| a large amount of | uncountable | singular |
| a great deal of | uncountable | singular |
| a small minority of | plural noun | plural |
| the majority of | plural noun | plural |
| the number of | plural noun | singular |
| a number of | plural noun | plural |
Watch the pair: 'the number of … is', but 'a number of … are'.
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