The following expressions of quantity ALWAYS take a singular verb:

Much:                        Not much gas is needed for the trip.

Much of                   Much of the forest was burned.

Little                          Little time is left to complete the project.

Little of                    Little of the water they had was wasted.

A little                       A little more studying is needed.

A little bit of           A little bit of snow was covering the grass.

A bit of                      A bit of salt is necessary to improve the taste.

Each                           Each person was told a different story.

Each of                     Each of the participants was given a T-shirt.

Every                         Every person in the class is invited to the party.

Every one of           Every one of his trophies was destroyed in the fire.

One                             One time is not enough.

One of                       One of your reasons was just an excuse.

The following expressions of quantity ALWAYS take a plural verb:

Many                         Many people are homeless.

Many of                   Many of the songs we heard were foreign.

Few                            Few students are still in school at 5:00.

Few of                       Few of the magazines on the table were new.

A few                         A few garden plants were still alive in December.

A few of                   A few of our guests are staying an extra night.

A number of         A number of details were overlooked.

The number of    The number of errors was unacceptable.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot