Much/Many/Great pains has/have been taken to preserve secrecy.

[z7655431]

Great pains has/have been taken to preserve secrecy.
(1)Between "has and have", which should I choose? Is "great pains" a plural noun or a singular noun?
(2)I looked the word pains in the Cambridge Dictionary, it says the word "pains" is a plural noun. However, my grammar book(劉毅文法寶典/Treasury of English Grammar) says it can be both a singular and plural noun. So, I am now really wondering about this.
(3)If I want to change the adjective great to another word(much or many), which is correct?
→Much pains has/have been taken to preserve secrecy.
Many pains has/have been taken to preserve secrecy.

 

[GoesStation]

The correct sentence is "Great pains have been taken to preserve secrecy." You can't replace "great" with "much" or "many".

 

[Tdol]

But you could also go to great lengths to preserve secrecy.