there are only a handful vs there is only a handful

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'There are only a handful' is used when referring to a plural noun, while 'There is only a handful' is used when referring to a singular noun. The choice between 'are' and 'is' depends on the number of the noun being described.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 2629 views

there are only a handful

This phrase is correct when referring to a plural noun.

This phrase is used when you want to emphasize that there are very few of something. 'Are' is used because 'handful' is a plural noun.

Examples:

There are only a handful of people who know the truth.
There are only a handful of books left on the shelf.

Show examples from the web [+]

“I have discovered there are only a handful of good ideas in the whole world. You already know them. You have heard them your entire life. Here are some of the ...
Life, Family, Friends · There are only a handful of designers that influence other designers, and I have to keep one step ahead of the game. Alexander McQueen ...
"There are only a handful of places like this in the country. It's a pretty big deal." See what all the buzz is about at Mezcaleria Mixtli: http://10be.st/1FL6Vi8.
You are Absolutely Correct, there are Only a Handful of. People who Understand National Principles…. A nation, or the sovereign who represents it, may grant to ...

Alternatives:

There are just a few
There are only a couple
There are only a small number
There are only a limited number

there is only a handful

This phrase is correct when referring to a singular noun.

This phrase is used when you want to emphasize that there is very little of something. 'Is' is used because 'handful' is treated as a singular noun.

Examples:

There is only a handful of sugar left in the jar.
There is only a handful of sand on the beach.

Show examples from the web [+]

There were a handful of people who had legitimate health issues or were moving . (source). There is only a handful of older fluent speakers left.
... know of one, also there is way 2 many people and a guy in electric wheel chair has the best transportation and where there is only a handful of black people.
4 days ago ... There is only a handful of hearings but plenty of defense/veterans work on Capitol Hill this week. The House Armed Services Committee will ...
The statement that there is only a handful of questionable transitions is another gross exaggeration. Thousands of fossils have been discovered, and we do see ...

Alternatives:

There is just a bit
There is only a small amount
There is only a limited quantity
There is only a small portion

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

there are only a handful vs there is only a handful