Numbers and their plurals

1. Dozen(s), hundred(s), etc.

The word dozen and numbers do not add -s when they are used in front of plural nouns: three dozen eggs, four hundred women, ten thousand dollars, etc. They add -s before of (i.e. where the number is not specified): Hundreds of people are going to the country. Thousands of dollars have been spent to the new stadium. She always buys dozens of things nobody needs.

2. “A whole amount”.

When the reference is to “a whole amount” a plural subject is followed by a singular verb, with reference to:

1. Duration: Two weeks is a long time to spend here.

2. Money: Two hundred pounds is a lot to spend on such things.

3. Distance: Thirty kilometers is a long way to walk in a day.

Note the agreement between subject and verb in sentences with titles of films, books, shows, periodicals and etc. The Times is a good newspaper. The Jaws is a thriller.

Exercise 20. Fill in the blanks with the verb to be:

1. Ten thousand dollars … a lot of money. 2. Twenty years … a long time. 3. Three thousand pounds … stolen in the robbery yesterday. 4. The Times … delivered in the morning. 5. Sound and Sense … written for college students. 6. Thousands of books … kept there. 7. Two hundred children … sent abroad. 8. Three kilometers … a long way for such a baby. 9. Here … your new glasses. 10. The pair of gloves … lost two days ago. 11. Hundreds of cars … parked there. 12. I think that five thousand dollars … a lot to spend on such an old car. 13. Millions of dollars … spent on protecting the environment and life on the planet of Earth.

Revision

Exercise 21. Underline the correct verb form.

1. Chemistry are/is my least favourite subject. 2. Your bathroom scales is/are not very accurate. 3. £2000 is/are far too expensive for that stereo. 4. Table-tennis is/are sometimes referred to as ping-pong. 5. The police is/are coming to the rescue. 6. Paper is/are made from wood. 7. Children likes/like playing games. 8. The scissors don’t/doesn’t work very well. 9. These trousers is/are terribly unflattering. 10. Education are/is considered to be very important by almost everyone. 11. Most people worry/worries about the effect of pollution on the environment. 12. Water is/are necessary for plants to grow. 13. When I’m ill my hair becomes/become greasy. 14. The rubbish has/have been taken away. 15. The information is/are inaccurate. 16. Binoculars is/are needed to see that far. 17. His luggage was/were left on the platform. 18. These stairs is/are too much dangerous. 19. Mumps is/are contagious. 20. The news was/were unexpected. 21. His experience of travel is/are limited.

Exercise 22. Underline the correct verb form.

1. Most of the mountain peaks in the Himalayan range is/are covered with snow the year around. 2. Nearly 40% of the people in our town never votes/vote in local elections. 3. A number of students has/have participated in intensive language programs abroad. 4. The number of students who knew the answer to the last question on the exam was/were very low. 5. Studying a foreign language often leads/lead students to learn about the culture of the countries where it is spoken. 6. The United States of America consists/consist of fifty separate states. 7. Two hours is/are too long to wait, don’t you think? 8. Isn’t/Aren’t Portuguese spoken in Brazil? 9. Why is/are the police standing over there? 10. A lot of Brazilians speaks/speak and understands/understand Spanish. 11. Why does/do most of the television stations broadcast national news at the same hour? 12. Some of the most important books for my report is/are not available in the school library. 13. There has/have been times when I have seriously considered dropping out of school. 14. Not one of the men in the original group of U.S. astronauts continues/continue in the space program today. 15. The news on the radio and TV stations confirms/confirm that a serious storm is approaching our city. 16. Geography is/are fascinating. Mathematics is/are fascinating too. 17. Mathematics and geography is /are my favourite subjects. 18. All of the windows in our house was/were broken in the earthquake. 19. By law, every man, woman and child is/are guaranteed the right to free speech. 20. Some of the movie about the creatures from outer space was/were surprisingly funny. 21. Some of the movies these days contains/contain too much violence. 22. Is/Are pineapple and sugar the leading crops in Hawaii today? 23. Why is/are there a shortage of certified school teachers at the present time? 24. How many people is/are there in Canada? 25. What is/are the population of Canada? 26. How many of the states in the United States begins/begin with the letter ‘A’? 27. Which one of the continents in the world is/are uninhabited? 28. Most of the water in the world is salt water. What percentage of the water in the world is/are fresh water? 29. The most common name for dogs in the United States is/are ‘Rover’. 30. What places in the world has/have no snakes?

Exercise 23. Open the brackets:

A 1. The police (to be) called immediately. 2. When I was at University I used to think that phonetics (to be) a dull subject. 3. The news (to be) announced before lunch. 4. Sheep (to be) grown in the northern areas of Great Britain because there is a lot of green grass. 5. In my opinion, billiards (to be) a very boring game. 6. Deer (to be) reared in the northern parts of Russia. 7. My son says that mathematics (to be) a very interesting subject. 8. In summer cattle (to be) fed on pasture lands. 9. Dark green foliage (to be) hiding the cave. 10. Where (to be) my shorts? 11. The equipment (to be) delivered in time.

B 1. He has made some (shelfs, shelves) for his son. 2. The (thieves, thiefs) stole much money from the bank. 3. The (roofs, rooves) were painted red. 4. She has no bad (tooths, teeth). 5. She ironed some (handkerchiefs, handkerchieves) for her children. 6. There are a lot of (gooses, geese) on the farm. 7. There are a lot of (mouses, mice) all over the place. 8. I’ve seen many (oxes/oxen) today! 9. The boy wanted to see (elfs/elves). 10. (Brothers/brethren) and sisters! Listen attentively! 11. The farmer bought a lot of (swines/swine).

Exercise 24. Fill in the blanks with the verbs to be, to have:

1. No one in the group of runners … a chance of beating the current speed record. (to have, Pres.) 2. Neither our library nor the public library … the books that the teacher recommended. (to have, Pres.) 3. Restricted ownership and enforced registration … two major approaches to handgun legislation. (to be, Past) 4. There … no doubt that he has stolen the money. (to be, Pres.) 5. A white car and a black one … parked near the gate. (to be, Pres.) 6. Star Wars … an interesting film. (to be, Pres.) 7. The news on the local radio station as well as newspaper accounts … of great importance. (to be, Pres.) 8. Every success and failure … a kind of contribution to a person’s growth and maturity. (to be, Pres.) 9. It is still women who … to do all household duties. (to have, Pres.) 10. Neither the cake nor the cookies … been eaten yet. (to have, Pres.) 11. Everything, including the dog, … stolen from the apartments. (to be, Pres.) 12. To a do-it-yourself handyman, a pair of pliers … very useful. (to be, Pres.) 13. Despite the development of medicine, measles … still a serious danger for people. (to be, Past) 14. English, as well as history, … required of all candidates. (to be, Past) 15. In their statements to the press, the committee … expressing several surprising ideas. (to be, Pres.) 16. Very few … strong enough to take part in the race. (to be, Past) 17. There … a pair of slippers under the chair. (to be, Pres.) 18. The screwdriver, along with the pliers, … left in the shed. (to be, Past) 19. Both my new clothes and old ones … in that box. (to be, Past) 20. When the bell rang, a few … still working on the test. (to be, Past) 21. Many of us … going to the meeting. (to be, Pres.) 22. That pair of jeans … at the laundry. (to be, Pres.) 23. There … some old books on the top shelf of the bookcase. (to be, Past) 24. The scissors … in the kitchen. (to be, Pres.)

Exercise 25. Fill in the blanks with the verbs to be, to have:

1. Three weeks … enough time for a camping trip. (to be) 2. This news … not yet reached the island. (to have) 3. There … some copies of the Times here. (to be) 4. According to the champion, one hundred pounds … easy to lift. (to be) 5. Three thousand dollars … a lot for her to pay for education. (to be) 6. Both English and German … interesting. (to be) 7. The Jaws, a movie about sharks, … been seen by a great number of people. (to have) 8. Our family … united and friendly. (to be) 9. Those species … common. (to be) 10. The English … always polite. (to be) 11. Chinese … a difficult language. (to be) 12. Where … the Smiths? (to be) 13. There … a lot of women students there. (to be) 14. The cactus … bought yesterday. (to be) 15. Billiards … becoming more and more popular. (to be) 16. The military … surrounded the park. (to have) 17. The mice … been caught by my cat. (to have) 18. Neither Tom nor Bob … going to the circus. (to be) 19. Most of the students … passed their exams successfully. (to have) 20. A pair of gloves … what she needs. (to be) 21. The number of houses in our city … growing rapidly. (to be) 22. A word of thanks …enough. (to be) 23. The cat, together with the dog and the parrot, … in the next room. (to be) 24. It … the papers that were stolen. (to be)

Exercise 26. Open the brackets:

1. Mathematics (to be) hard. I don’t understand it. 2. If we (to be) late for the class, our teacher will be angry with us. 3. There (to be) a lot of people waiting for the train yesterday. 4. A passer-by asked if it (to be) the right road to Hastings. 5. There (to be) several groups of people in Britain which try to protect the environment. 6. Money (to be) the root of all evil in our life. 7. My sister won’t get her money until she (to be) twenty-one. 8. She said she didn’t know where her friend (to be). 9. As a rule the most important news (to be) broadcast on this channel. 10. There (to be) hardly any furniture in his room. 11. I didn’t believe that you (to be) short of money. 12. The information (to be) very interesting, I’m sure. 13. Where (to be) my pliers? 14. Tradition English afternoon tea (to be) rare now. 15. There (to be) (much, many) phenomena there.

Exercise 27. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

1. The water in this lake ... (to look) very clean. 2. Making mistakes … (to be) only natural. 3. Maths … (not to interest) me very much. 4. All of our furniture … (to be) brand new. 5. Sugar … (to damage) your teeth. 6. Snow rarely … (to fall) in this part of the country. 7. The applause … (to be) very loud. 8. The news they brought us … (to be) good. 9. Your trousers … (not to match) your shirt. 10. The team … (to discuss) strategy before every game. 11. Chickenpox … (to give) you an itchy rash. 12. Billiards … (to be) his favourite game. 13. The accommodation here … (to seem) very expensive. 14. The pliers … (to be) in the tool box. 15. Knowledge of other languages … (to help) people in business. 16. Ten minutes … (to be) too little time to finish this report. 17. Every time I travel, some of my luggage … (to get) damaged. 18. Welsh … (to be) difficult to learn. 19. The staff … (to be) happy with the pay-rise. 20. Sophisticated machinery … (to cost) a lot of money.

Exercise 28. Open the brackets:

1. Tom’s family (to be) in the process of having dinner when we came in. 2. All the family (to be) gathered to have dinner. 3. His family who (to be) occupied each with their particular guest did not notice anything. 4. Bob’s family (to be) of about the same social status as my own. 5. When the family (to be) alone she often told them different stories before going to bed. 6. Everybody says the Swiss police (to be) great at finding people. 7. The police (to be) not fools; that man did not believe a word of what she said. 8. There (to be) some fish in her basket. 9. The team (to be) having baths at the moment and then they will come back here to tea. 10. The summons (to be) already overdue. 11. Do you know what the news (to be)? 12. The ashes (to be) still hot. 13. The job is unpaid, but a number of people (to be) willing to undertake it. 14. There (to be) important information in the letter. 15. The clergy (to be) generally dressed in black. 16. Ethics (to be) a difficult study. 17. In the meantime the young couple (to be) to live in the old house. 18. That day the committee (to be) to meet somewhere in that building. 19. We had to find out whether the committee (to be) competent enough to consider the project. 20. The board (to be) extraordinarily kind to you. 21. The board (to be) going to consider your application next time. 22. There (to be) a few little craft in the harbour. 23. The staff (to be) all gathered in the office when the dean came. 24. What a nice car! Your money (to be) well spent. 25. His advice always (to be) useful.

Exercise 29. Open the brackets:

1. A lot of books in my office (to be) very valuable to me. 2. A lot of the advice my grandparents gave me (to have) proven to be invaluable. 3. All of the employees in that company (to be) required to be proficient in a second language. 4. Listening to very loud music at rock concerts (to have) caused hearing loss in some teenagers. 5. Many of the satellites orbiting the earth (to be) used for communication. 6. The news about the long-range effects of pollution (to be) disturbing. 7. Everybody (to seek) peace and contentment in life. 8. According to the poll, 53 percent of the people in the country (do not) want the incumbent to be re-elected. 9. Even though the eye of the hurricane will miss our city, there (to be) still the possibility of heavy rain and high winds. 10. Chinese (to have) more than 50 thousand written characters. 11. About two-thirds of the Vietnamese (to be) working in agriculture. 12. A number of planes (to be) delayed due to the inclement weather. 13. The number of passengers affected by the delays (to be) great. 14. More men than women (to be) left-handed. 15. Every girl and boy (to be) required to have certain immunizations before enrolling in public school. 16. Politics (to be) a constant source of interest to me. 17. Seventy-five percent of the people in New York City (to be ) living in upstairs apartments, not on the ground floor. 18. Most of the fish I caught (to be) too small to keep for diner. 19. Unless there (to be) a profound and extensive reform of government policies in the near future, the economic conditions in that country will continue to deteriorate. 20. While I was in Paris, some of the best food I found (to be) not at the well-known eating places, but in small out-of-the-way cafes. 21. (To be) there ever any doubt in your mind about the outcome of the election? 22. Where (to be) my gloves? 23. Where (to be) Kenya? Can you find it for me on the map? 24. According to one report approximately 80% of all the data in computers around the world (to be) in English.

Exercise 30. Translate into English.

1. Летом у нас очень много фруктов. 2. Его волосы седые. 3. Эти часы очень хорошие. 4. Эти новости очень важные. 5. Ваши советы всегда очень полезны. 6. Чьи это деньги? 7. Где домино? – На столе. 8. Его одежда совсем новая. 9. Её заработная плата очень высокая. 10. Недалеко отсюда находится стекольный завод. 11. Это тетрадь твоего племянника? – Нет, это тетрадь моей сестры. 12. Содержание его письма было совершенно неожиданным. 13. Чьи это часы? – Это мои, а твои на полке. 14. Чьи это вещи? – Смитов. 15. Чьи это фотографии? – Это их фотографии. 16. Где ваш стол? – Он посередине комнаты. 17. Чей это зонтик? – Это мой. 18. Ну, где твои кактусы? 19. В нашем зоопарке находится несколько редких видов животных. 20. На пристани стояли карлики с венками и зонтиками. 21. Лошадь поранила два копыта и не могла бегать. 22. Антенны у насекомого выглядели необычно. 23. Не только тёща, но и тесть смотрели сериал по телевизору. 24. Жёны моряков, возвращающихся из плавания, спешили в порт, чтобы встретить своих мужей. 25. Моя семья не любит рано вставать, все предпочитают поспать подольше.

Exercise 31. Translate into English:

1. Три года – слишком большой срок, когда тебе всего 10 лет. 2. Содержание книги было ему знакомо. 3. Я ищу работу. 4. На улице было мало прохожих. 5. Полиция гонится за нами! 6. У них на ферме много гусей, уток, овец и коз, а ещё есть пруд, где мы ловим рыбу. Я поймал три рыбки. 7. Она перепробовала много разных работ и, в конце концов, стала известной писательницей. 8. Сто рублей – небольшая сумма денег. 9. Народы разных стран стремятся к миру. 10. Женщины и дети выехали из города. 11. Когда он пришёл домой, семья ужинала. 12. Часы на стене показывают два часа ночи. 13. У неё красивые длинные волосы. 14. Это явление ещё не известно. 15. У комитета сложилось мнение, что этот вопрос не следует рассматривать в отсутствие председателя. 16. Вся компания сидит в ресторане. Они собираются здесь ужинать. 17. Когда управляющий приходит, весь штат находится на месте. 18. Штат слишком большой и я не знаю, как она справляется. 19. Ты знаешь, каковы новости? 20. Команда только что прекратила работу, и все собираются на палубе. 21. В письме важная информация. 22. Пресса не была допущена на собрание. 23. Полиция этого города уже задержала воров, ограбивших банк неделю назад. 24. В древние времена большинство племён, населявших нынешнюю Европу, были людоедам. 25. Наблюдатели отметили, что выборы были честными. 26. Отличительная черта гениев – нестандартное мышление.