一、population做主语的时候谓语动词用单数还是复数
The population of the earth is increasing very fast.
其中population作主语，谓语动词用了单数形式。但是，在下面一句中，动词却用了复数：
One third of the population here are workers.
Population
1. “population”表示“人口”并单独作主语时，谓语动词一般只用单数不用复数。如：
What was the population of Europe in 1900? 1900年欧洲的人口是多少?
Do you know what the population of Japan is?
Between 1850 and 1950, more than thirty million people went from Europe to live in the U.S.A., but the populations of North and South America together.
2.“population” 前面出现分数，百分数或不定代词most，half 等时，谓语动词用单数或复数均可，而单数更常见些。如：
In 1970,26.5 percent of the U.S.A. population was rural. 美国人口的26.5%在农村地区。
Australia is a very large country. But most of the population is in the south-east past.
One half of the world’s population are Asians. 世界人口的一半是亚洲人。
85%of the population live in cities and towns. Only 15% live in the countryside.
2. population 的另一个意思是“某地区的居民，群众” (the people living in an area)， 从意思上看它表示复数概念，但我们发现，在它后面人仍然用单数动词：
The population in these villages has to get its water from wells. 这些村子里的居民只好从井中吸水。
There 50 per cent or more of the population is illiterate.在那里，文盲的比例达到或超过了百分之五十。
Most of the population is under-nourished.大多数居民营养不良。
二、population用法
用法1：population的基本意思是人口,还可指居住在某地的全体居民,作主语时谓语动词用单数形式; 在表示人口多少时,用large和small修饰。特指某一地区或某一国家的人口时,则前常加冠词the。
用法2：population用作可数名词,表示一个地区的特定人群动物群时,其前常加定冠词the。
用法3：population是集合名词,有时可加不定冠词,有时可用复数形式。
