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Daithy Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

a great many people?

Is the indefinite article used here correctly? I know you can say "a people" or "peoples" when describing a nation or polity, but this example sounds incorrect to me.

"Please accept our apologies on behalf of a great many people here in the Netherlands for our Government and our Media."

P.S. Sorry for double posting this question as I wasn't logged in properly the previous time.
  

Top answer

", not with "people". You can use this phrase with any plural: "a great many problems", "a great many pomegranates", etc.

— GPY

  • ", not with "people".
  • You can use this phrase with any plural: "a great many problems", "a great many pomegranates", etc.
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11 Answers
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It's correct, but "a" goes with the set phrase "a great many ...", not with "people". You can use this phrase with any plural: "a great many problems", "a great many pomegranates", etc.
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Alright, I had never realised "many" can also be a noun. Thanks.
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So wouldn't you say "a great many of people" perhaps?
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DaithyQuoteAlright, I had never realised "many" can also be a noun. Thanks.
"many" can be a noun (or pronoun), but is unclear that it is one in the pattern "a great many + plural noun".
DaithySo wouldn't you say "a great many of people" perhaps?
No, that is not correct.
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GPYDaithySo wouldn't you say "a great many of people" perhaps?No, that is not correct.
.... though you can say "a great many of the people".
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GPY but is unclear that it is one in the pattern "a great many + plural noun".
You said that the indefinite article belongs to "many"; doesn't that make it a noun?
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DaithyYou said that the indefinite article belongs to "many"; doesn't that make it a noun?
Well, I said it belonged with the set phrase "a great many ...". It is not clear to me how the individual components of that phrase should be analysed when followed by a plural noun. In the phrase "many people", "many" is a quantifier, modifying "people". It is not clear
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GPYIt is not clear to me how or whether the addition of "a great" alters that. Perhaps someone else could comment on this?
I'd say that 'many' is a quantifier and 'a great' , meaning 'very' functions adverbially.

However, I wouldn't have sleepless nights if somebody came up with a different analysis.
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The expression "a great many" behaves just like "a few" or "most":

a few people/a few of the people/a few of them
most people/most of the people/most of them
a great many people/a great many of the people/a great many of them

Whenever you include "of," you have to use either "the + plural noun" or a plural pro
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