I just read a question in Oxford Word Skills about bus routes:
'How many stops is it to the park?'
Although I feel "how many stops are they…" sounds awkward, "how many stops are there…" sounds normal to me.
In many examples that I've seen with how many or how much, if the main verb is 'be', it agrees with the noun after how many or how much. E.g. 'how many apples are in the fridge?'
Why doesn't the verb 'be', here 'is', agree with 'stops'? What kind of grammar is "how many stops is it…"?!
By the same analogy, can I say "how many apples is it in the fridge?" If yes, how is it different from "how many apples are there in the fridge?"?
Best Answer
I'll give you two other sentences with "is it" and "are there": "How many miles is it to London" (I'm asking about the distance). "How many pubs are there on the way to the park" (I am asking you to count the pubs).
When I say "how many stops is it to the park", I am asking about the distance. It's not a distance in miles, but if you are used to taking the bus, you have a feel for you long it is from one stop to the next, so this is a good way to estimate the distance. On the motorway I could ask "how many exits to our destination", same thing, it is equivalent to the distance.
When I say "how many stops are there to the park", I am asking about the number of stops. I could ask "how many road signs are there to the park", or any other thing I would like to count.