The same rule applies to “plenty” and “load.” “There is plenty of turkey left,” but “there are plenty of pecans in the pie.”
“Loads of dirty dishes are in the sink,” so “there is loads of washing up to do.”
11.12.2011
LOTS, PLENTY, LOAD (number)
The expression “a lot” takes a singular verb when it refers to an amount of something that can’t be counted: “a lot of water has gone over the dam.” But it takes a plural verb when it refers to a countable number of things: “there are a lot of fish in the sea.” “Lots” works the same way: “there is lots of room left in the theater, but for some reason lots of us are still waiting to be seated.” Remember that “there’s” is a contraction of “there is”; so instead of “there’s a lot of flowers in the garden,” say “there are a lot of flowers.”
