/lit/ - Literature

just google it its 2014

NUMBER ONE IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.

"THERE IS A VAST NUMBER", OR "THERE ARE VASTS NUMBERS".

>>4728901
It depends on whether number or people is the noun being accorded

>>4728909

I MEAN "VAST NUMBERS".

>>4728904

sooo you don't know then?

>>4728901
"There are a vast number of people who..." is grammatically correct. If you remove "a vast number" from the sentence it becomes "There are people who..." and that is correct.

If you remove "of people" from the sentence it loses its meaning: "There are a vast number who..." A vast number of what? Of people? Of pigs?

Class dismissed.

>>4728916
Is your homework a survey?

>>4728909
>>4728919

Gahh...which is it?!

>>4728921
i think both are idiomatic. what is this for?

>>4728921
if dubs makes 2 right

>>4728920

No I formulated this sentence today while writing and couldn't decide which was correct. I thought /lit/ would be the best board to ask...

>>4728919
>If you remove "of people" from the sentence it loses its meaning: "There are a vast number who..."

Whoops, I meant, "There is a vast number who..."

>>4728921

I ALREADY TOLD YOU.

WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TRUST? ME, OR SOME ANONYMOUS NOBODY?

YOU OUGHT TO HAVE PAID ATTENTION IN SCHOOL.

i would say are but grammar doesn't exist so shut up

>>4728921
http://noam-chomsky.tumblr.com/post/6845072540/there-are-a-vast-number-of-people-who-are

If Noam Chomsky uses "there are," I'd go with "there are."

>>4728926
you'll be fine either way. 2 sounds better to me but nobody is going to notice either way. or change it to "there are vast numbers..." which everyone agrees is correct

>>4728933
Noah chompsky = Old fart senile knownothin

there is a number.
or
there are a number.

"There is a vast number of people who are cool"

vs

"There are a vast number of people who are cool"

idk 2 sounds better

>>4728901

I'll admit OP, this has me stumped as well.

>>4728901
"Number" is only a common noun when referring to arithmetical values. When referring to a subject such as "people", it's treated as plural. It can also be an indefinite pronoun ("Some").

For example:

"The number is likely to rise" - Common noun, grammatically correct

"There are still a number of toads under the shed" plural, grammatically correct.

"There is still a number of weeds to remove" Is grammatically incorrect.

"There are a vast number of people who..." is grammatically correct.

>>4728909
"A large number of tripfags ARE cunts."

1 is correct, "vast number" while sounding like a plural because it is referring to several things groups those things to refer to them singularly.

The fact that there is disagreement here proves it doesn't especially matter but if you chose 1 you will be right and no one will much notice or care while if you chose 2 wrong, foolish people will not notice or care and correct people will silently judge you.

Just say "the vast majority like x and y" or "the vast majority prefer x or y"

Don't have superfluous word, as it looks bad.

>>4729008
Or just remove "who" from the sentence.

>"The vast majority of people have/prefer/go to/want x or y"

>>4728977
source?

>>4729016

His imagination

>>4729016
Quite fittingly, it seems to be a kiddie website.

http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/singular_plural_number.htm

What the fuck. You're confusing me big time, /lit/.

I'm glad I speak Spanish and I don't have to put up with retarded shit like this.

>>4729037

In Spanish the right sentence would be: "Hay un gran número de personas"... It's singular. Because the noun (número de personas/number of people) is fucking singular.

I don't understand why it's different in English. I think you should do as the speakers of the best and more precise language in the world and use fucking singular.

It would not be grammatically correct. There is only one number being referred to.

>>4729084

Or rather, the second wouldn't be gram,atically correct. Sorry.

>>4728919

No, you idiot. "of people" is a prepositional phrase - you can't just remove the subject of the sentence because it feels good. "vast number" isn't modifying anything, and cannot be removed, since it is the subject. Come on, guy. This is 4th grade subject-verb agreement shit.

no grammar expert, but i think this isn't too hard. if what you are describing is the "people" then you should use "are", the plural. if you are describing the "number" use the singular.

so...

"a vast number of people are nice people" is good
"a vast number of people is nice people" is obviously wrong

and

"a vast number of people is larger than a small number of people" is good
"a vast number of people are larger than a small number of people" means something else

so, here you seem to be describing the people, so go with "are". that's the way it seems to me at least.

>>4729094
Normally, you'd be correct. But the expression "a number of" follows a special rule. It isn't the subject; "people" is the subject. Some sources:

http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/11/06/the-number-of-versus-a-number-of/

http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/singular-vs-plural/the-number-vs-a-number/

Oh, and for future reference, it never hurts to be polite when there is a possibility that you might be wrong. It makes you look like less of a retarded asshole.

>>4728901

"There is a vast number of people that"
(There is a vast number ... that)

"There are a vast number of people who"
(There are ... people who)

>>4728938

>Literally fighting with the father of linguistics on grammar

I understand mocking Chomsky for his political opinion, but really? Arguing with him on grammar?

>>4729188

i have the boldness of youth, and he is naturally invalidated for being an shriveled old fart

>>4729202

Nazism prevailed on the "boldness of youth" when Germany, as a whole, would have been better off listening to their old farts. The same goes for the Communist revolutions in Russia and China.

Youthful boldness, as an impulse, has a pretty bad track record.

The world may never know

>>4729215
I think it's more heroism (the German prototype can be found in racecar driving, maybe the NSKK) than youth, which is only taken in by heroism

>>4728901
the real question is does it matter? the reader will know what you mean. fuck traditional structure and fuck the oxford comma

1.
Vast describes the number, not the people.

Test