Count nouns  

            Non-count nouns

One of the boys is sick.

Three of the men were alone.

Several of the apples are rotten.

Many of the people are students.

Some of the bananas are ripe. Some of the water is impure.

Most of the girls are here.
A lot of the people are hungry.
Half of the cakes are frosted.
All of the monkeys are asleep.
None of the men are single.
(All of the men are not single.)
None of the men was my father.
(Not any of the men was my father.)
Unusual usage:
Five gallons of gas is enough.
Three-fourths of the pie is gone.
Most of the wine is red.
A lot of the bread is gone.
Half of the cake is frosted.
All of the milk is sour.
None of the orange juice was left.
Five gallons of punch were sold.
Three-fourths of the pie are gone.

everybody / anybody / somebody / nobody

everyone / anyone / someone / no one
These subjects are all singular!
“Everyone have problems.”

“Everyone has problems.”

“I don’t know if anybody is in the office right now.”

“How do you react if someone gives you a compliment?”

“Nobody likes the new English teacher.”

half of / a third of / 40% of / some / most

These words can be singular OR plural depending on what follows them!
“Half of the students are from another country.”
“Half of the class is from another country.”
“Some of these facts are incorrect.”
“Some of this information is incorrect.”
“40% of the people don’t support the new law.”
“40% of the country doesn’t support the new law.”

With fractions, percentages and indefinite quantifiers (e.g., all, few, many,
much, some), the verb agrees with the preceding noun or clause:

With a singular or non-count noun or clause, use a singular verb:

One-third of this article is taken up with statistical analysis.

Much of the book seems relevant to this study.
Half of what he writes is undocumented.
Fifty percent of the job is routine.
All the information is current

With a plural noun, use a plural verb:

One-third of the students have graduate degrees.

Many researchers depend on grants from industry.
Half of his articles are peer-reviewed.
Fifty percent of the computers have CD-ROM drives.
All the studies are current.

With a collective noun, use either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether you want to
emphasize the single group or its individual members:

Half of my family lives/live in Canada.

All of the class is/are here.
Ten percent of the population is/are bilingual.

The words majority and minority are used in a variety of ways:

When majority/minority mean an unspecified number more or less than 50%, use a singular verb:

The majority holds no strong views.

A small minority indicates it supports the proposal.

When majority/minority mean a specific percentage, you may use either a singular or a plural verb:

A 75% majority have/has voted against the measure.

A 10% minority are/is opposed to the measure.

When majority/minority refers to a specified set of persons, use a plural verb:

A majority of Canadians have voted for change.

A minority of the students are willing to pay more.

1. Plenty of people like fast food. (LIKE)

2. The majority of students at the university ____receive/receives_____ financial aid. (RECEIVE)
3. A minority of the students _____greet/greets___________ the teacher when entering the classroom. (GREET)
4. A number of people ___were_______ on line at the bank when I entered. (BE)
5. Every one of my colleagues _____has__________ a master’s degree. (HAVE)
6. A majority of my cousins _______like/likes________ to have family get-togethers. (LIKE)
7. Everyone that was invited to the party _____has__________ arrived. (HAVE)
8. A large number of cars ______were_________ on the street past midnight last night. (BE)
9. Most of the wine served at the restaurant _______is________ red. (BE)
10. The minority of CEC teachers ______are/is_________ native speakers. (BE)
11. Half of the space in the restaurant ______is_________ empty to maintain social distancing. (BE)
12. In a referendum, the government must follow what the majority ____votes___________ for. (VOTE)
13. Each of the students always _______does________ his or her homework. (DO)
14. None of the students in my class _______is/are________ married. (BE)
15. None of the computers on display at the store ______is/are_________ what I’m looking for. (BE)
16. The majority always _________decides______ which people will be the leaders of the country. (DECIDE)
17. Every book in my collection ______was_________ bought used. (BE)
18. Most of the beer consumed in Ecuador _______is________ made locally. (BE)
19. No one _______has________ the right to bully others. (HAVE)
20. All of my music _____is_________ stored on my computer. (BE)
21. Most of the 3rd world ____lives___________ in poverty. (LIVE)
22. A lot of music nowadays _____makes__________ no sense. (MAKE)
23. Every student ____is___________ on time for the exam. (BE)
24. Of all my colleagues, the majority ______is_________ good people. (BE)
25. Every franchise restaurant ____is___________ individually owned and operated. (BE)