ToBE #23 : A lot of people is waiting

"A lot of people is waiting". Sounds strange, doesn't it?

What seems wrong? Do you have the urge to strike off the "is" and write "are", instead?

But, wait. Go through ToBE #22 below and think whether you want to 'correct' the above sentence.

Answer: There is nothing wrong with the sentence "A lot of people is waiting". 'A lot of people' is a single unit like:

• Bring me a pair of socks that is black in colour.
• A team of five people is going to represent our company.

However, quite a few people are uncomfortable with "is" following "people" and prefer using "are". As a result,

• A lot of people are going

is acceptable.

However, if you want to use the correct form without being uncomfortable, you may strike a compromise with:

• Lots of people are going.

In the next issue, we have a related subject: Maths teachers teaching incorrect English.
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A joke (Moral of the joke: Never interrupt sentences)
The English teacher asked a student to frame a sentence starting with 'I'.
The student started: "I is the ..."
Teacher: "Am" always follows "I". Don't say "I is", say "I am".
Student: OK, teacher. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.