Hi everyone,

SANAM are five indefinite pronouns which can be either singular or plural.

How about "quantity" adjectives such as plenty and handful? When a sentence has the THERE + BE VERB + ADJECTIVE + OF + NOUN construction, I am often not sure whether to make the verb singular or plural. Should the verb follow the quantity/countability of the noun after the preposition "of"? I have come up with four sentences to illustrate my point:

- There is plenty of food at home.

- There are plenty of umbrellas for sale on 43rd St.

- There are handful of people left in this room.

- Only a handful of equipment is needed to run the show.

- Only a handful of oranges are necessary for his diet.

Any of the verbs above not used correctly?

Thanks!

"there" and "here" are NEVER subjects of sentences. When you have "there" or "here" followed by a verb, this indicates an inverted sentence, one in which the subject comes after the verb.

So, "there is plenty of food at home" becomes "plenty of food is at home" when written normally (that is, not inverted). Plenty of umbrellas are for sale.

Now try it with handful: a handful of people (are/is) left in this room. (are)

So, yes, as you've discovered there are some words that are singular / plural depending upon what word follows in the prepositional phrase (of ____)! These are generally exceptions to the rule, obviously, but good to know just in case!

Thanks, Stacey!

You're welcome! :)