Talk:Do Mersenne Primes Go On For Ever?

Is there ...? or Are There ...? an infinite number.

Is there a bag of sweets? Are there a bag of sweets? Same linguistic construction, it's the collective noun which is being enumerated by the present tense of the verb "to be".

Does "a number of" have the same grammatical function as "several"? I believe not, so I believe it should be the "is" of the collective noun.

But I'm prepared to shrug and stroll on if I'm overruled - grammar is a populist subject nowadays. --Matt Westwood 05:34, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Actually, my math class last year spent several days debating a similar issue. We ended up bringing in an English teacher to put the question to rest. Unfortunately, I don't remember what conclusion we came to :( Feel free to switch it back to "Is" if you prefer. --Cynic (talk) 21:17, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks - sorry but I'm a fussy old fool ... --Matt Westwood 22:09, 6 April 2009 (UTC)