[zoltari]

I am so very confused and suspect I am using is and are incorrectly, but I just don't know... The more I think about it, the more confused I become.

When I read other people's uses of is and are, I get confused as they always sound wrong to me. Can anyone explain in very simple terms how to use the correct one?

Example

a) A large range of books is available
b) A large range of books are available

I would use b when speaking or writing, as it sound correct to me; a just doesn't seem to flow when read out loud. It sounds odd to me.

I assume that "a large range of books is avaiable", is correct because range is singular? So, I could say, "manybooks are available",? Maybe?

a) There is a huge number of people in the world
b) There are a huge number of people in the world

In the above, would a be correct again? Yet again, to me, b sounds correct.

The more I think, the more lost I become.

Anyone? Can you explain it simply so I can apply the rule in future?

Many thanks

Zoltar.