A number of

I would use the second: There is a number of pupils... But let's see what the teachers have to say.

Marold(1) What is the meaning of "a number of"? Is it an equivalent to "some"?

Yes.

MaroldThere is/are a number of pupils in the school grounds.

Here's the rule, strange though it may seem:

a number - are
the number - is

A number of people are waiting in line at that store. / There are

And if you used a group of people would it be the same?

AgaristaAnd if you used a group of people would it be the same?

No! The rule only works with 'number'.

'group' is borderline. You can usually go with either the singular or the plural. It depends whether you are conceptualizing the group as a unit or as the individuals in the group.

A group of angry people is headed toward City Hall. (The

Thank you for your explanations. Every day I learn something new about the English language.(or should I put every day at the end?)

'every day' at the end is considered the unmarked position. That means the usual position, where there is no attempt to draw attention to it.

The marked position (the beginning) is used to emphasize the idea. So Every day I learn ... makes the idea 'every day' stand out more. In this context it seems appropriate to emphasize 'every day', so it's fine as you've written it.

CalifJimas you've written it.

Would "as you wrote it" be OK as well? Would the meaning be differente? I think this is one of those cases when you can use simple past and present perfect interchangeably.

whatchadoinWould "as you wrote it" be OK as well?

Yes, but I didn't like it as much at the time.

whatchadoinWould the meaning be different?

Yes. The meaning is never exactly the same if the words are different!

whatchadoin ... when you can use simple past and prese

Thank you, CalifJim.