Why "are" instead of "is"?
"After an attack like 9/11 in the United States or 7/7 in London, a massive amount of resources are inevitably deployed to shield the most precious targets, but there is a Sisyphean element to such a task."
Thanks!
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Hello, Allen:
(1) Here is what some experts have written:
(a) Mr. Michael Swan's
Practical English Usage says:
"A large number of problems still
have to be solved" is "more
natural" than "A large amount of problems [still have to be solved]."
(b) Mr. L.G. Alexander's
Longman English Grammar says we use "A great
amount of" +
uncountable noun. His example: "A great amount of money
is spent on research." He tells us to use "A great number of" for
plural countable nouns. His example: A great number of our students
are
American.
*** THEN HE ADDS:
"Some native speakers use amount of with countable nouns as well:
A large /great amount of our investments are in property."
(c)
Webster's Niinth New Collegiate Dictionary does not discuss the verb
question but it reminds us:
"The less common use of
amount with count nouns has been frequently
criticized; it seens to occur most often when the number of things can
be
visualized [my emphasis] as a mass <glad to furnish any amount of
black pebbles> or when money is involved <a substantial amount of
loans>.
The bottom line:
If I understand those experts, it seems that the sentence you quoted
should refer to "a massive
number of resources
are ...."
Sincerely,
James