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Which statement is right?

a. Quantities of water was wasted.

b. Quantities of water were wasted.

As you see, in my English books it tells me that "Quantites of anything", the verb MUST BE USED in the plural form and it meets the grammar of English itself.

However, I don't understand why. I think "Quantites of ..." can be regarded as an adjective to modify "water", which is an uncountable noun. So AFAIK the singular form of the verb should be better? Or the first is right in grammar, the latter right in understanding with logic (Both are right)?

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  • Compare this question: english.stackexchange.com/questions/385229/…
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 9:44
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    In "bags of sweets" do you think "bags of" is an adjective? Because to me "bags" is obviously a plural noun.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 9:47
  • There are fuzzy quantifier usages where the plurality of the noun in the quantifier phrase is plural in form, but the later agreement is singular: ● Tons of water was used on the fire. / ● Oodles of money is needed to buy a car like this. / But these are in the minority. // I'd say that neither of your sentences sounds that natural. Internet examples tend to have adjectival padding: The irrigation of such crops requires vast / enormous / large / unlimited amounts/quantities of water'. But I'd say that I can't think of a context where 'Quantities of water was wasted.' sounds idiomatic.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 11:47
  • @EdwinAshworth: I have to admit that it's a habit for people to use in plural form as fixed phrases when meeting "quantities of.....". ect. Thank you.
    – Beginner
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 2:00
  • Does this answer your question? Is 'bags/heaps/loads/oodles/stacks of + uncountable noun' always treated as singular?
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 18:28

2 Answers 2

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I think "Quantities of ..."

"Quantities of ..." does not create a phrase, a part of speech, or an adjective.

The analysis is {Quantities (plural noun) [of water (prepositional phrase as adjectival modifier)]}

The noun phrase "Quantities of water" takes its number from the modified noun "quantities".

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  • Thank you for your explaination, however it cannot explain why "Lots of..."/"Tons of water was wasted...". I tend to reguard these words as a unit word instead of a "of..." meaning "a part of sth". So it seems it should be right logically but people don't say it naturally, they tend to use plural form of verb here for "quantities of....".
    – Beginner
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 2:07
  • @Beginner It certainly explains "lots of x was..." Lots, in this sense, does not mean "many individual lots" - it means "a great quantity" and is thus has singular concord. -- I tend to regard -- you should avoid subjectivity - it is not a guide to language. -- logically ... I think you mean "By applying a pattern from other examples" - and that would mean that we have "Think - thought / Drink - drought. ;).
    – user81561
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 10:32
  • Thank you for your guidance, for an English-learner who isn't living in a native country with grammars, maybe sometimes is right otherwises wrong ;)
    – Beginner
    Commented Jun 17, 2022 at 7:57
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I was taught to put parentheses around prepositional phrases. I have found it pretty helpful, as a way of seeing the basic sentence structure more clearly.

Quantities ( of water ) were wasted.

Now we can clearly see that the subject is quantities, which is plural.

You will see that subject-verb agreement is one of the most common mistakes people tend to make, though. The farther away the subject and verb are from each other, the more likely it is that the author and editor kind of lose track of what needs to agree with what.

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  • Oodles/pots (of money) is needed to buy a car like this.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 19:01
  • @EdwinAshworth: Yes, this is just why I ask the question：From gramma it cannot explain why "Lots of..."/"Tons of water was wasted..." (in singular form?) I tend to reguard these words as a unit word instead of a "of..." meaning "a part of sth". So it seems it should be right logically but people don't say it naturally, they tend to use plural form of verb here for "quantities of....".
    – Beginner
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 2:09
  • @Beginner - Unlike Edwin, I don't often hear plural subject - singular verb like "Oodles of money is needed." When I do, it seems to be a verbal slip that can happen when someone speaks off the cuff.
    – aparente001
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 3:02
  • See Sevastopoulos, linked to at Is bags heaps loads oodles stacks of uncountable noun always-treated-as-sing.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 18:28

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