有些简单的英语语法问题，学习考试是一回事，真正使用又是一回事。比如：“a total of”后面应该是单数还是复数？这个问题是因审稿人的一个错误问题而起。

查了一下中文网，这个问题没说清楚。查了一下英文网，似有一个意见较为合理。

比如有这么一个问题：

1. A total of 10 babies is sleeping. (A)

2. A total of 10 babies are sleeping. (B)

3. Ten babies in total are sleeping. (C)

上面三句话那句正确？结论是A错误，B和C正确。

原因是 集合名词（collective noun）“total”在满足下面三个条件时要以复数处理：

1. it is explicitly used with the word, number, or the word, number, is implied (in a strict sense*),

2. the items being counted are identified/clarified/specified, AND

3. the size of the number is given.

也就是说，如果“total”明白无误地与“number”一起使用，或者明确在指数量（严格地说，后面是否能插入“number”），后面如果为可数名词，并且有明确的数目大小或多少时，要用复数形式。

如：

• A total of number of 3500 students were at the seminar. [Plural]

• A total [number] of 11 shells are in my possession. [Plural]

如果只满足上面第1和2,但不满足条件3时，用单数：

The total number of students in attendance was unbelievably large. [Singular]

其他如下面的例子也是没有全满足上述条件时用单数的情况：

My total is 11. Theirs is much higher. [Singular]

'How many pennies do we now have?' 'The current total is 22.' [Singular]

但细说起来，在英国英语和美国英语中，“total”后面应该是单数还是复数还是有差别的。如：

• There are ten babies. [Universally correct]

• There are ten babies in total. [Universally correct]

• There are a total of ten babies. [Plural. British?]

• There is a total of ten babies. [Singular. American?]

见：

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/8545/a-total-of-10-babies-is-vs-a-total-of-10-babies-are-vs-ten-babies-i