"A variety of" : verbal agreement

Question

A plural verb is needed after a/an (large, wide, etc.) variety of…
A variety of reasons were given.
You can use a singular or a plural verb before it:

There is/are a wide variety of patterns to choose
from.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/variety_1?q=variety

Why is the singular verb possible only if it appears "before" the verb?
Is this some general wider aspect of the English language?

Anton · Answer

It is easy to decide this issue if you first consider a short and very basic form of the sentence. "A variety was given." clearly has a singular subject. This leads naturally to "A variety (of reasons) was given". It is not like saying "Various reasons were given", which clearly has a plural subject.

Answered by Anton on April 1, 2021

"A variety of" : verbal agreement

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