Quantity singular/plural

[jnicholls]

I want to say within a sentence the following "....and a sizable quantity of weapons was seized near the village of .....".
It feels like I should say "weapons were siezed"
Which way is correct in this contect.
Thanks

 

[billmcd]

"quantity was....."

 

[bertietheblue]

A [small/large] quantity of weapons were seized - here 'A quantity of' equates to 'they'
but if we drop the 'of + noun' we are talking about the 'quantity' which is singular:

A quantity was seized

A common example is the use of the plural with 'a number of':

A [large] number of people were queuing up to vote outside the polling station - here 'a number of' equates to 'they'

but note:

The number of people queuing up to vote is incredible! - with 'the' you are talking about the 'number' so we use the singular

Bertie

 

[sarat_106]

"quantity was....."

It can also be used in plural form (large quantities of ) but as subject it always takes a (singular) plural verb; as
During the raid, large quantities of cocaine (was) were seized at Beirut port
The plural form is used in phases like: in large/small/sufficient etc quantities; as:
Green tea can be harmful if taken in large quantities
Glucose is used in large quantities for medical purposes
Buy vegetables in small quantities, for your immediate use.

 

[bertietheblue]

It can also be used in plural form (large quantities of ) but as subject it always takes a singular verb; as
During the raid, large quantities of cocaine [STRIKE]was [/STRIKE]were seized at Beirut port
The plural form is used in phases like: in large/small/sufficient etc quantities; as:
Green tea can be harmful if taken in large quantities
Glucose is used in large quantities for medical purposes
Buy vegetables in small quantities, for your immediate use.

B

 

[sarat_106]

B

Thank you. I stand corrected, it should bo plural verb.