Q of N

Quantifier of Noun.

A lot of books have arrived.
lots of equipment has arrived.

The object of "of" determines singular/plural.


A bunch of books are
a bunch of grass is
a lot of books are
lotsa sugar comes


A lot of books has arrived (a lot = shipment)


The Q of N rule is useful even for native-speakers English: We say "a bunch of books are" but "a bunch of grass is," as well as "a lot of books are" and "lotsa sugar comes from sugarcane." The rule is: When the quantifier is not one or a single and is followed by a singular or plural noun serving as the subject of a clause, the verb is singular or plural in agreement with the object of the preposition of; when Q is one or a single, the verb is third-person singular. (Cf. further "Many a person lives alone.") If with foreigners, we make a rule forbidding be gonna or will in neutral hypothesis, relative, and temporal clauses after a posterior main verb, that can be of help . . . especially if we recognize that "If it arrives tomorrow, . . . " does not use arrives the way we use it in a main clause: "Her train arrives at noon tomorrow."