A number of vs The number of

I stll have another question . It's in my first post of the thread.
Are there any difference between "a number of" and "the number of"?
As far as I remember, "the number of" goes with a singular noun, while "a number of" doesn't. Is it right?

Re: Number and Amount

ngoc_lan said:

I stll have another question . It's in my first post of the thread.
Are there any difference between "a number of" and "the number of"?
As far as I remember, "the number of" goes with a singular noun, while "a number of" doesn't. Is it right?

Click to expand...

No, you should be able to test such a silly rule simply by making a sentence.
"The number of" needs a single noun? Fine - "The number of cat at my door is three"; "The number of tooth in the average mouth is 32."
Does this sound right to you? Surely if you have a singular noun, the number is always going to be one, so "the number of" would never arise.

Raymott said:

No, you should be able to test such a silly rule simply by making a sentence.
"The number of" needs a single noun? Fine - "The number of cat at my door is three"; "The number of tooth in the average mouth is 32."
Does this sound right to you? Surely if you have a singular noun, the number is always going to be one, so "the number of" would never arise.

Click to expand...

Sorry - I moved the prior post to its own thread, but just as I was doing so, Raymott replied. Quoting his response was the easiest fix I knew.

EDIT: Okay, I figured out how to get the response attached to the original question now.

A number of:alot of,many
A number of people are waiting at the bus-stop.

''The number of '' gives the number of something.

The number of people in this village is 2500.

gulesin said:

A number of: a lot of, many. (Note the spaces I have put in.)
A number of people are waiting at the bus-stop.

''The number of '' gives the number of something.

The number of people in this village is 2500.

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You are on the right lines, though 'a number of' can mean just 'some'; it does not have to imply 'many'.

'The number of' means that figures are involved, but they are not necessarily givem:

The number of people unemployed has risen for the third month in a row.