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Today on GUARDIAN life&style is this teaser:

There's many a garden outbuilding crying out for a makeover.

I'm wondering if this sentence is correct. I think there should either many deleted (There is a garden outbuilding) or is should be are, the a is too much and an s is missing at the end of outbuilding (There are many garden outbuildings).

Or does the sentence make sense in any way I don't recognize?

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closed as general reference by RegDwighт♦ Apr 2 '12 at 9:34

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

1 Answer

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Yes, it is correct. It's a phrase that is combined with a singular noun. From http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/many:

many a: a large number of

Many a good man has been destroyed by booze
John and I have talked about it many a time

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It's not commonly used anymore, especially in everyday speech, but ash's answer is correct. – aaamos Apr 2 '12 at 6:59
4  
@aaamos: I use it! – Barrie England Apr 2 '12 at 7:03
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@BarrieEngland: As do I... but that doesn't make it common ;-) – aaamos Apr 2 '12 at 7:04
Just that I understand it correctly: A large number of refers to - let' say - 10 things but they are wrapped into one packet and we just refer to this one wrap? – Em1 Apr 2 '12 at 7:09
@Em1: Yes, as ash said, it's used with a singular noun, irrespective of the actual quantity. – aaamos Apr 2 '12 at 7:17
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