Grammar

[anoobie]

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Is "a lot" singular or plural?

Do you say:
a. A lot of people is going to med school.

or

b. A lot of people are going to med school.

I'm thinking a is correct since a lot is just one lot so it should be singular but then a sounds awkward. So what do you think?

 

[vicinihil]

i always thought it was are

 

[spicedmanna]

Is "a lot" singular or plural?

Do you say:
a. A lot of people is going to med school.

or

b. A lot of people are going to med school.

I'm thinking a is correct since a lot is just one lot so it should be singular but then a sounds awkward. So what do you think?

I'm no grammar expert, or even particularly good at English, but I think B is the correct answer here. If it sounds right, it is probably right, and choice B just sounds right to me.

In terms of logic, think of it this way: the phrase "a lot" is synonymous with "many" (1). Therefore, the sentence in question can be rephrased as, "Many people are going to medical school." You wouldn't say, "Many people is going to medical school," as that would be incorrect. The word "people" is a plural noun and is modified by the adjective "many," so you would use "are."

That's my 2 cents. However, I'm no expert.

 

[heymanooh1]

"people" is the subject, "a lot" acts as an adjective in the example you gave.

 

[greg1184]

A lot is a phrase that should be avoided in formal writing anyway.

 

[anoobie]

Thanks for answering.
I have another question

Is it:
A. 0.25 grams

or

B. 0.25 gram

My take is B because 0.25 is less than 1 but I'm not sure.

Thanks for clearing this up for me.

 

[spicedmanna]

B is the correct answer. See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gram .

What does this have to do with the MCAT? 😕

It sounds like you are having some difficulty around when to use the plural form versus the singular form of some nouns. The Writing and Grammar Advice thread in the mentor forum may be more appropriate for your questions.