Amount, Deal, Quantity, Number等词的用法辨析
有关quantity的主谓一致
一、amount的用法详解
1. amount用作名词
其意为“数量”、“金额”等，通常用于 a (great, large) amount of 这类结构，其后通常接不可数名词。如：
He made a large amount of money. 他赚了大量的钱。
They have to process a large amount of data. 他们得处理大量数据。
I had not expected such an amount of praise. 我没料到受到这么多赞扬。
A large amount of damage was done in a short time. 短期内造成大量损害。
I had not expected such an amount of praise. 我没料想受到这样多的赞扬。
He must memorize large amounts of material. 他必须背熟大量材料。
注意：这类结构用作主语，其谓语的数取决于 amount 的数。如：
在这座桥上花了大量资金。
正: A large amount of money was spent on the bridge.
正: Large amounts of money were spent on the bridge.
比较：在 a great number of 之后通常接可数名词(用复数)。如：
2. amount用作动词
用作动词时意为“合计”、“等于”、“意味着”，通常是不及物动词，其后常接介词 to。如：Building cost amounts to six million dollars. 建筑费用达600 万元。
Her reply amounts to a refusal. 她的回答等于拒绝。
注意：由于其后接的to为介词，所以后接动词时，该动词要用动名词。如：
这等于是欺骗老师。(from 误：This amounts to cheat the teacher.
正：This amounts to cheating the teacher.
析：amount 用作动词，表示“等于”，是不及物动词，其后接的to 为介词。
二、a great/good many 非常多，许多(形容词)
The young couple has travelled a great many cities since they got married.
A great many college students were sent to the West to help the children there. Helen has a great many friends indeed, but she does not think she has any she can confide in.
The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets.
He has extracted a great many examples from the grammar book.
比较：
1. many a... 许多(后接单数动词)
Many a teacher has come to the exhibition.
Many a woman has great influence on her husband.
He beguiled us with many a tale of adventure.
2. a lot, lots of, a number of 与 a great many / a good many 意义相同。
三、a great deal 大量地，非常多的
1、作副词
The old woman's life is a great deal better now.
2、作代词
1. We have learnt a great deal from our professor.
2. I have accomplished a great deal in the last few months.
3. We waited for their decision with a great deal of apprehension.
2、作名词(不可数)
1. People spend a great deal of money on National Day.
2. He drinks a great deal of water every day.
3. He offered me a great deal of money.
4. Keeping the house really meant a good deal to me.
3、比较：a lot of, lots of 也表示“非常多”，但它既可接可数名词，也可接不可数名词。There is a lot of rain here in summer.
There are lots of tourists in Beijing every year.
A glossy magazine has lots of pictures of fashionable clothes and is printed on good quality paper.
He is a bold thinker, with lots of original ideas.
4、比较：a big deal 重要人物
[a subject, situation, or event which people think is important. ]
1)I don't know why this issue has become such a big deal.
2)Losing the match was no big deal.
3)All I said was, I'm going to have a baby - what's the big deal
4)Yes, it's his birthday today, but he doesn't want to make a big deal of it. (= make people notice it by having a special celebration)
四、a handful of 一把，少量(作为量词)
1. She scooped up a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball.
2. Only a handful people agree with him, it is a foolis risk.
3. We invited twenty people, but only a handful of them came.
picked up a handful of letters and began to open them.
比较：
同义词组有：a small amount of , a small number of
A cap or tube containing a small amount of explosive used to detonate the main explosive charge of a firearm or mine.
At this school, only ten people passed the music examination this year. That may seem a small number but it's(about) par for the course.
四、a kind of 有点儿，几分，一种
An apple is a kind of fruit.
Money is a kind of allurement for us.
I have a kind of feeling this might happen. (隐约觉得）
I have a kind of suspicion that she told a lie. (有点儿）
比较：
1. all kinds of / all sorts of 各种各样的
Donations came from all kinds of people.
