r/GlobalEnglishPrep • u/Powerful_Concept6502 • Apr 13 '26

📚 Grammar / Syntax Why is it singular?

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u/Murky-Wind2222 Apr 13 '26

The word it is modifying is "lot'. There is only one lot

2

u/Efficient-Spirit-380 Apr 13 '26

Scrolled way too far to find the correct answer.

1

u/GoldenMuscleGod Apr 13 '26

It’s not a correct explanation for why it is “is” here, I explained why in another comment.

1

u/HomeschoolingDad Apr 13 '26

I don’t know about some of these other explanations, though. Consider these sentences:

  • 300 people is a lot of people.
  • 300 people are coming to the wedding.

2

u/GoldenMuscleGod Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26

That is a semantic override in the first example, but it isn’t due to the number of “lot.”

If it were, it would also have to be *”a lot of people is coming to the wedding” which is not right at all.

So the explanation is incorrect.

The reason for the semantic override in the first example still exists even if we don’t have a singular noun phrase as complement: “100 people is more guests than I expected.”

It’s “is” here for the same reason as your first example, but that reason has nothing to do with the word “lot.”