因对OG-verbal-72中numbers的用法不理解，检索了CD上的讨论并发现大家对number这个词及相关短语的用法普遍存在困难。已有的许多讨论都很精彩，但是在某些细节上仍然open to questions。结合大家的讨论和其他资源，用GMAT题目为依据，试图做一个小结。主要参考讨论贴为：http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=23&replyid=454631&id=44516&page=1&skin=0&Star=1            

tianwan:number, numbers: 492, 530, 550, 709, 712,764, 829, 908, 924            juan,青鸟, Mariezhu, Dreadpower,KittyNewGT, 花仙子，特别是蓝色泡泡做了非常有价值的讨论，另外古镯, Babypace, liu977等人(恕不能一一列举)在其他帖子的讨论也十分有用，在此一并致谢！

Number的用法小结：

 几种用法之间区别：非核心词与核心词；number的意义；number与相关成分的单复数一致关系。

 1) a number of / numbers of + 可数名词复数 + 动词复数

可以理解为量词结构，a number of表示一些，numbers of表示大量

of后面的复数名词才是核心词，谓语动词因此总是复数

Manystudents arrived early, but only a number of them worked on their exercises.

The lake produces a good number of (=a lot of) salmoneach season.

Numbersof birds fly across the lake.

另外：any number of 用于非正式场合，表示大量

There could be any number of (=many) reasons why she'slate.

OG237. It seems likely that a number ofastronomical phenomena, such as the formation ofplanetary nebulas, (E) are caused by theinteraction of two stars orbiting each other at close range.

OG152.When the technique known as gene-splicing was invented in the early 1970’s, itwas feared that scientists might inadvertently create an “Andromeda strain,” amicrobe never before seen on Earth that might escape from the laboratory and (C)kill vast numbers of humans who would have no natural defenses against it.

709. The Coast Guard recentlyredesigned channel markers in the Chesapeake Bay toaccommodate large (A)                    numbers of ospreys,whose huge nests formerly obstructed the lights.

829. The speculative fever of the Roaring Twenties infected(C) rich and poor alike; great numbers of                people weredangerously overextended, credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and mostbrokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.”

2) the number of + 可数名词复数 + 动词单数: number是核心词，可以被具体的一个数字

表示可数物品累积起来的数量, 可数名词需用复数形式

这时number是核心词，可以被具体化为一个数字，如50或者100，谓语动词因此总是单数

Thenumber of students who participated the interview was 100.

Today’s case brings the number of successfulprosecutions in the region to thirty-four.

 [这里有个疑问有待考证：是否可以从例子派生出The numbers of girl and boy students arerespectively 30 and 70? 如果可以，则规则为：the number(s) of + n.(总是复数) + v.(单数或者复数-取决于number的形式)]。

OG-verbal-5. A LaborDepartment study states that the (D) number of women            employed outside the home increased            by more than thirty-fivepercent in the past decade and accounted for more than sixty-two percent of thetotal growth in the civilian work force.

492. Los Angeles            has (C) a higher number of familydwellings per capita            than does any other large city.

有人问为什么不选(D) higher numbersof family dwellings per capita than do other large cities（C）. ETS：theplural numbers is incorrect in that there is only a single number ofsuch dwellings.        这题是什么时候用单数，什么时候用复数number的好例证：ETS的意思是，因为人均住房面积只用一个数值就可以表示了，例如20平方米/人，即number 就是这个数，所以number 和对应谓语动词都用单数。另外，比较级higher表示将LA的number 和其他城市相应的number相比：one number is larger/greater than the other number.

3) numbers作为核心词，表示可以被具体化的几个数

530. (D) New Jersey has one of the fivehighest numbersof reported（D）        cases of Lyme disease in theUnited  States.

908. Upset by the recentdownturn in production numbers during the first half of the year, (E)the board of directors, at its quarterly meeting, raised the possibility ofadding worker incentives. 因为每个公司的生产指标有很多，所以用复数形式的productionnumbers。比较题No.492，在那里family dwellings per capita只可以被具体化为一个数。

这些情况下，如果明确知道有多个数字，就用numbers。再例如Don'tjudge a team by its numbers.不能仅仅从数字（指标）上判断一个队（的好坏）。如NBA队伍中每个球员都有rebound, assist, turnover, score等指标，球队有胜率，排名等指标。这些指标就是由多个数字表达的，所以即使team是单数，但是its + numbers是最合理的。上面的句子也可以改写为：Don’t judge a team by those numbers listed on itswebsite.

4) numbers作为核心词，但可以被具体化的几个数倾向不明显

OG-verbal-72. The gyrfalcon,an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with (A) extinction; its numbers are now five-times greater than when the use ofDDT was sharply restricted in the early 1970’s. 因为动词是复数，所以可推知numbers是number的复数形式，而不是什么固定用法。

TTGWD9-Q7: In Scotland, the (E) wild salmon’s numbershave been reduced by uncontrolled deep-sea and coastal netting, bypollution, and by various other threats to the fish’s habitat.

另外，一些讨论中说：numbers是复数做“人数，鸟群”讲。Longman字典：Visitor numbers increase in the summer.　游客人数在夏季增加。现代英汉词典：Birds gather in large numbers beside the river.鸟儿一群群地聚在河边。但是显然后面一个例子中in large numbers是做副词用，参见5)。

这一类用法是最难的，还没有找到最有说服力的解释。但是作题的时候，我们可以借用其他方面的线索，排除错误项        (e.g.OG-verbal-72)。

5) in number(s) 惯用法: 如downturn/decline in number(s)，表示在数量指标方面

innumber adv., prep., n.        总共，在数目上

They were printed in limited numbers.

Young people have been leaving the countryside in            large                numbers for urbanareas. [leave … for …]

The condors have dwindled to an estimated sixty in number.

48(non-OG). The golden crab of the Gulf of Mexico has not been fishedcommercially in great numbers, primarily (C) because itlives            at great depths – 2,500 to 3,000 feet down.

550. Once common throughoutthe Western plains, (A) black-footed ferrets are thought to have declined in number as a result of the poisoning of prairie dogs,their prey. 这题主要是考察逻辑关系：black-footed ferrets (is) common throughout …, 只有A正确。

看来in number 或者in numbers在某些情况下，并不需要严格区分，毕竟GMAT时要求找最佳答案。或许550中用numbers也没错。

6) the number (s) of + 名词单数或者复数 + 动词单数或者复数，表示标号，数字标识

这时number是核心词，number、物品、谓语动词三者的单/复数形式要一致

Thenumbers of the machine parts A and B are respectively 201 and 203.

机器零件A和B的标号分别是201和203。

派生出The number ofmachine part A is 201.

这时number与numbers互为单复数的关系。注意，这里。

Thenumbers of the machine parts are not available. 这些机器零件的号码找不到了。

其他用法：

beyondnumber = too many to count: 数不胜数: grains of sandbeyond number. 数不胜数的沙粒。

numbers作为复数形式，用在短语中：play the numbers 玩赌字的游戏，the numbers game

number– a piece of musical: sang several numbers from the OPERA.

动词用法：number v.

1计数；The books in the library number in the thousands。图书馆里的书数以千计。[see also#5]

2包含在内；Several eminent scientists number among his friends.他朋友中有几位杰出科学家。

3给…标号；The pages of thebook were numbered 1 to 268.

相关题：

712. The commissionacknowledged that (D)neither vast amounts of money nor a large staff can ensure the safety ofpeople who live in the vicinity of a nuclear plant, but it approved theinstallation because it believed that all reasonable precautions had beentaken.

其中(C) neither vastamounts of money nor numbers ofstaff members 的后半部分不通：staff 可以看作集体名词，用a largestaff结构最好。ETS: in choice C it is notcertain whether vast modifies amounts only or amounts andnumbers.