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Kate
just grammar
could you tell what the correct variant is
There is a number of ways or
There are a number of ways
Thank you)
Jun 16, 2015 7:29 AM
Answers · 3
2
There are a number of ways.
This is the right option because you are talking about more than one thing.
June 16, 2015
1
To add to the previous answer:
according to Hugh Dellar, some people tend to say 'there's' even with plural nouns especially when they use 'a lot': there's a lot of rain, there's a lot of policemen just because it's quicker ans easier than 'there are a lot of'. However, you'll be penalised for that in exams.
June 16, 2015
In informal speech, many native speakers would say 'There's a number of ways'. This is easier to say than the plural form, and it sounds natural. I use this form myself in relaxed speech. It also makes some sense grammatically, too, because of the singular noun 'number'. It's like saying 'There's a lot of...'. It really doesn't sound too wrong to the native speaker's ear.
That said, the more grammatically correct form is 'There are a number of ways', and if you are doing a grammar exercise or writing a formal text, you should use the plural verb form.
June 16, 2015
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Kate
Language Skills
Chinese (Cantonese), English, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian
Learning Language
Chinese (Cantonese), English, Spanish
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