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Can preschoolers save a language? The number of, a number of and collective nouns

This B2 ESL lesson plan teaches subject-verb agreement with quantities and collective nouns through Pūnana Leo, whose first preschool opened on Kauaʻi in 1984 and taught only in Hawaiian.

Grammar
The verb agrees with the real subject: the number of + is, a number of + are, most of the children understand but most of the money is, and the school has.
Topic
How Hawaiian came back into classrooms, from a 1983 meeting of educators to immersion schools, with words such as revive, fluent and immersion.
Activities
An explainer, a call with a parent and a teacher's voice memo, self-checking drills, an open-day chat and boxes about saving a language.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: one language, many voices

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: keeping a language aliveVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2A nest of voices

    • Look at the photo: a nest of hungry chicksPictureUnlock
    • Read Isaiah's explainer on The Why DeskArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Match the paragraphs and the headingsMatchUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Too much for a child of four?

    • Listen to Isaiah and MarianListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Reader's Rebuttal: Curt's voice memoListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: the number of speakers is growing

    • Study the scheme: the number of speakers is growingGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct option in American EnglishChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: use the correct form of the verbs in bracketsFill in the gapsTry it
    • Sort the words into the correct columns: singular or plural verb in American English?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Fill in the table: is or are, has or have?Fill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is correct in American English?QuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: open day questions

    • Choose the right replies: questions at a preschool's open dayChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: who keeps a language alive?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: words and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
    • Choose the correct option in American English: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: use the correct form of the verbs in bracketsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: what does it mean, and which is correct in American English?QuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option in American English: a preschool's reportChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Isaiah answers CurtDrag and dropUnlock

33 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • immersion
  • generation
  • elder
  • preschool
  • legislature
  • dissertation
  • mother tongue
  • staff
  • household

Grammar: subject-verb agreement with quantities and collective nouns

In The number of speakers is growing, the verb agrees with number, not with speakers. A story that counts children, families and schools needs this in almost every sentence. Learners find the real subject before they choose the verb, tell the number of from a number of, and use a singular verb after collective nouns, as American English does.

The number of speakers is growing. A number of families speak it.

The verb agrees with the real subject. One thing (= it): is, has, speaks. More than one (= they): are, have, speak.

the number of or a number of?

The number of means how many, which is one number, so the verb is singular: The number of sites has grown since 1984. A number of means several, so the verb is plural: A number of parents attend evening classes.

the number of or a number of?

the number of = how many (one number)

  • The number of children in each class is twelve.
  • The number of sites has grown since 1984.
  • Ask: how many? One number → is / has

a number of = several, some

  • A number of parents attend evening classes.
  • A number of preschools have opened since 1984.
  • Think: several → they → are / have

Common mistakes

  • The number of speakers are growing.

    The number of speakers is growing.

    the number = one number → is

  • A number of families speaks it at home.

    A number of families speak it at home.

    a number of = several → plural verb

  • Most of the money are for books.

    Most of the money is for books.

    money is uncountable → singular verb

  • The school have a new garden.

    The school has a new garden.

    American English: a school, a team, a family → singular

most of, some of, all of: the noun decides

After most, some, all, half or a lot of, look at the noun. A plural noun takes a plural verb: Most of the children understand Hawaiian. An uncountable noun takes a singular verb: Most of the money is for books.

Quantity phrases: which verb?

PhraseVerbExample
the number of + plural noun (= how many)singular: is, has, growsThe number of speakers is growing.
a number of + plural noun (= several)plural: are, have, speakA number of families speak it at home.
most / some / all / half of the + plural nounpluralMost of the children understand Hawaiian.
most / some / all / half of the + uncountable nounsingularMost of the money is for books.
a lot of + nounagrees with the nounA lot of parents attend classes. A lot of the work is fun.
most / some / all + noun (no of the)agrees with the nounMost children learn fast. All information is online.

In Hilo and at The Why Desk

  • The number of kids in my son's class is bigger this year.
  • A number of families on our street speak Hawaiian at home.
  • Pūnana Leo says most of the children understand Hawaiian within a couple of months.
  • All of the lessons are in Hawaiian, and so is lunch.
  • Our household has decided to speak Hawaiian at dinner.
  • Most of the money from the bake sale goes to books.

Collective nouns in American English

American English treats a group as one thing: The school has a new garden. Our household has decided to speak Hawaiian at dinner. Plural nouns such as people and children still take a plural verb: People are curious about the preschools.

NounVerbExample
the school, the preschoolsingular (= it)The school has a new garden.
the team, the classsingular (= it)Our team practices on Tuesdays.
the family, the householdsingular (= it)Our household has decided to speak Hawaiian at dinner.
the legislature, the organizationsingular (= it)The legislature has passed a new bill.
people, children (plural nouns)plural (= they)People are curious about the preschools.

Find the real subject

A long subject can hide its main word. In The number of children in these classes is growing, the verb agrees with number, not classes. Skip the words between the main noun and the verb: Most of the money for the trips is from parents.

Find the real subject

A long subject can trick you. The verb agrees with the main word, not with the noun right before it: The number of children in these classes is growing (not: are). Most of the money for the trips is from parents (not: are).

none of, and the staff in speech

With none of + a plural noun, both verbs are right: None of the lessons is in English and None of the lessons are in English. In writing, Americans usually use the staff is, but the staff are is common in speech.

none of, and the staff in speech

None of + plural noun can take either verb: None of the lessons is in English. = None of the lessons are in English. Both are right. In speech, you'll also hear The staff are… when people think of the workers one by one. In writing, Americans usually use the singular: The staff is patient.

More lessons on this grammar: Quantifiers lessons and exercises

Try the subject-verb agreement exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 19 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • use a singular verb after the number of and a plural one after a number of: The number of speakers is growing. A number of families speak it at home.
  • make the verb agree with the noun after most of, some of or all of: Most of the children understand Hawaiian. Most of the money is for books.
  • use a singular verb after school, team, household and legislature, as American English does: The school has a new garden.
  • find the real subject in a long phrase: The number of children in these classes is growing, not are
  • ask questions at a preschool's open day: How many children are there in each class? Are all of the lessons in Spanish?

Lesson 28 closes Language and communication, unit 7 of English B2.1 · How the World Works. It returns to B1.1 lesson 22, where most of, some of and none of went with nouns, and now asks which verb follows them. Lesson 29 opens unit 8, Exploring the extremes, with dimension nouns. Isaiah counts preschools, families and classes, so nearly every sentence about Hawaiian's return needs the right verb after a quantity.

Students spin a wheel of questions about family languages and early learning, then learn twelve words, from revive and fluent to legislature and mother tongue, with pictures and audio. They read Isaiah's explainer on how Hawaiian returned to classrooms, then hear Isaiah question Marian, a parent in Hilo, about one language all day, and Curt, a fourth-grade teacher on Oʻahu, argue that families keep a language alive; both are AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, among them a table of is or are, has or have. In the speaking chapter, students ask questions at a preschool's open day in a chat and open boxes about who keeps a language alive.

Each of the ten homework tasks checks itself: a word match, an anagram, word gaps and a memory game, then verbs to choose in new sentences, verb forms to write, sentences to order, a quiz on meaning and form, a preschool's year-end report with forms to choose and Isaiah's answer to Curt with words to drag in.

Grammar:
subject-verb agreement · the number of vs a number of · most of, some of, all of + noun · collective nouns in American English
Topic:
Pūnana Leo · the Hawaiian language · Hawaii · language revival · immersion preschools · languages and communication · The Why Desk

Teaching tips

  • Turn the two phrases into two questions: the number of answers “How many?” with one number, so is; a number of means “several,” so are. Students hold up one finger or five as you read sentences.
  • Underline the main noun in long subjects from the explainer, such as The number of Pūnana Leo sites, and cross out the words between it and the verb before choosing.
  • Ask about students' family languages before the reading: who speaks what at home, and with whom? Then they read to find what the educators of 1983 learned from elders.
  • Pause the call at Isaiah's objection: is one language all day too much for a child of four? Students predict Marian's answer, then listen on and compare.

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The whole course: English B2.1 · How the World Works

32 lessons for adults at B2 in American English, each answering one question about how the world works. The team of The Why Desk, a small online magazine in Pittsburgh, takes on one question a week, from the day a computer beat the world chess champion to eight people sealed inside Biosphere 2. Learners tell stories with narrative tenses, speculate about the past and the future, and report what experts claim. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 AI and the future of work

    narrative tenses, by and until, be bound to and be likely to, the future perfect

    1. Lesson 1Checkmate: the day a computer beat the championNarrative tenses: past simple, past continuous and past perfect
    2. Lesson 2The robot car that crossed the desertTime prepositions: by, until, within, throughout, in time and on time
    3. Lesson 3Can a chatbot fool you?Probability about the future: be bound to, be likely to, the chances are
    4. Lesson 4By 2035, what will AI have designed?The future perfect simple: will have + past participle

  2. Unit 2 Health breakthroughs

    the third conditional, the past perfect and past continuous passive, have something done, the passive with two objects

    1. Lesson 5The moldy melon that changed medicineThe third conditional: if + had done, would have done
    2. Lesson 61.8 million Polio PioneersThe past perfect passive and the past continuous passive
    3. Lesson 7One clinic, many doctorsHave / get something done
    4. Lesson 8A kidney from a twinThe passive with two objects

  3. Unit 3 Moving people

    the past perfect continuous, the passive infinitive and -ing form, it's worth and there's no point, the future in the past

    1. Lesson 9Six years to the golden spikeThe past perfect continuous vs the past perfect simple
    2. Lesson 10Riding a pod with no driverThe passive infinitive and the passive -ing form
    3. Lesson 11The town that painted bike lanes firstIt's worth, there's no point and it's no use + -ing
    4. Lesson 12The highways that were supposed to take 13 yearsThe future in the past

  4. Unit 4 Wildlife comebacks

    reporting verbs with a that clause, with an object and infinitive and with -ing, verbs of perception

    1. Lesson 13Did wolves really change Yellowstone's rivers?Reporting verbs + that clause
    2. Lesson 14Bringing a parrot back from the edgeReporting verbs + object + (not) to + base form
    3. Lesson 15The beavers that came by parachuteReporting verbs + -ing and verb + preposition + -ing
    4. Lesson 16Fifteen bison take the trainVerbs of perception + object + base form or -ing

  5. Unit 5 Pop culture goes global

    comment adverbs, wish and if only for the present and the past, have someone do and get someone to do

    1. Lesson 17The party that started hip hopComment adverbs: apparently, supposedly, undoubtedly
    2. Lesson 18Slide to the left!Wish and if only for wishes about now
    3. Lesson 19If only they'd kept SupermanWish and if only + past perfect for regrets
    4. Lesson 20The hit factory on West Grand BoulevardCausative have and get: have someone do, get someone to do

  6. Unit 6 Money and smart choices

    -ever words and no matter, should have and could have, prepositions for numbers and change, it's time and would rather

    1. Lesson 21The bank that never closed-ever words and no matter
    2. Lesson 22One marshmallow now or two later?Should have, shouldn't have and could have
    3. Lesson 23Benjamin Franklin's 200-year giftPrepositions for numbers and change
    4. Lesson 24Why buy a drill you'll use once?It's (high) time and would rather + past simple

  7. Unit 7 Language and communication

    must have, might have and can't have, verb prefixes and suffixes, past modals in continuous and passive forms, agreement with quantities

    1. Lesson 25How did one man write down a language?Past modals of deduction: must have, might have, can't have
    2. Lesson 26Why do Americans write “color”?Verb prefixes and suffixes: misspell, rewrite, simplify, shorten
    3. Lesson 27The joke that needed a smileyPast modals in continuous and passive forms
    4. Lesson 28 · you're hereCan preschoolers save a language?Subject-verb agreement with quantities and collective nouns

  8. Unit 8 Exploring the extremes

    dimension nouns, the future continuous and future perfect continuous, compound adjectives, only, even and just

    1. Lesson 29A walk on the ocean floorDimension nouns and phrases: depth, width, height
    2. Lesson 30Six months of night at the South PoleThe future continuous and the future perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 31Flying on pedal powerCompound adjectives with numbers and participles
    4. Lesson 32Two years under glassFocus adverbs: only, even, just and at all

Questions about this lesson

What is subject-verb agreement?
Subject-verb agreement means the verb matches its subject in number: one thing takes is, has or speaks, and two or more take are, have or speak. It gets harder with quantities and groups: The number of speakers is growing, but A number of families speak it. The B2 lesson Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai teaches these cases with Hawaiian's return to schools.
What's the difference between “the number of” and “a number of”?
The number of asks how many and gives one number, so it takes a singular verb: The number of children in each class is twelve. A number of means several, so the verb is plural: A number of preschools have opened since 1984. The scheme in Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai sets the two side by side, and a table drill asks for is or are, has or have.
Do collective nouns take a singular or plural verb?
In American English, usually a singular verb: The school has a new garden. Our team practices on Tuesdays. The legislature has passed a new bill. In speech, you'll also hear a plural verb when people think of the members one by one, as in The staff are…, but in writing the singular is usual. Plural nouns like people and children always take a plural verb. Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai drills the American use.
Is it “most of the money is” or “most of the money are”?
It's most of the money is. After most of, some of, all of or half of, the verb agrees with the noun that follows. Money is uncountable, so it's singular; children is plural: Most of the children understand Hawaiian. The same goes for a lot of: A lot of parents attend classes. This mistake is one of four in the scheme of Can preschoolers save a language?, a B2 lesson on edio.ai.
Is it “none of the lessons is” or “none of the lessons are”?
Both are correct: None of the lessons is in English and None of the lessons are in English mean the same. Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai shows both in its scheme and never marks either one wrong in a drill.
What is Pūnana Leo?
Pūnana Leo is a group of preschools that teach only in Hawaiian, run by the nonprofit ʻAha Pūnana Leo, set up in 1983. The name means “nest of voices”: children are “fed” their language like young birds. The first preschool opened in August 1984 in Kekaha, on Kauaʻi, and Hilo and Honolulu followed in 1985. Lessons, play and meals are all in Hawaiian. Isaiah's explainer in Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai tells the story.
When did Hawaiian return to Hawaii's public schools?
A law from 1896 made English the language of instruction in all schools; ʻAha Pūnana Leo calls it a 90-year ban on teaching in Hawaiian. In 1986, the state legislature removed that rule, and in the 1987-88 school year, Hawaiian immersion classes began in two public elementary schools. Today, education in Hawaiian runs from preschool to university, and to the doctoral level, ʻAha Pūnana Leo says. Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai covers these steps.
How do I teach subject-verb agreement to B2 students?
Teach the tricky subjects, not the easy ones: quantity phrases, collective nouns and long subjects with a noun just before the verb. Have students underline the main noun first. Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai moves from Isaiah's explainer and his call with Marian to the scheme, a sort into singular and plural, a table of is or are, and a quiz on correct sentences.
What's a good game for practicing subject-verb agreement?
Play “Stand up for plural”: read out subjects such as the number of visitors, a number of students, most of the food or the team, and students stand for a plural verb and stay seated for a singular one. Then they finish each sentence aloud. The boxes in Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai add speaking questions such as whether the number of speakers of their family's language is growing.
What's good homework for subject-verb agreement?
Good homework hides the real subject a little, with words between it and the verb, and mixes tenses: Since September, a number of new students ___ (join) our class. All ten homework tasks in Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai check themselves, ending with a preschool's year-end report and Isaiah's answer to Curt, a teacher who wrote in.
How do you practice subject-verb agreement one-to-one?
Describe a place the student knows, such as their school, office or street, with quantity phrases: The number of people who…, Most of my colleagues…, Our team…. The teacher asks follow-up questions and notes every verb. The chat in Can preschoolers save a language? on edio.ai works without a partner: the student asks a teacher questions at a preschool's open day.
Are there interactive exercises for subject-verb agreement?
Yes. This page plays three parts of Can preschoolers save a language?, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, with no account: Isaiah's call with a parent in Hilo; a gap-fill where students write each verb's correct form; and the open-day chat at a preschool. Everything else needs an account.
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