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MaverickK Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
A handful of farmers is...
Hi,
I read this sentence in the leading magazine The Economist today -
"The handful of white farmers left on the land is still being harassed."
I feel it should be "are". Is the sentence correct?If so,why?
Thanks for any help.
I read this sentence in the leading magazine The Economist today -
"The handful of white farmers left on the land is still being harassed."
I feel it should be "are". Is the sentence correct?If so,why?
Thanks for any help.
Top answer
Is is grammatically correct; are is notionally correct. Both are acceptable.
- Is is grammatically correct; are is notionally correct.
- Both are acceptable.
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4 Answers
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Is is grammatically correct; are is notionally correct. Both are acceptable.
Is is grammatically correct; are is notionally correct. Both are acceptable.
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thanks for your reply. But can you please tell me how is "is" correct? The subject is plural so we need a plural verb "are".
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I think "is" going with "the handful" is correct? If just "white farmers" we can use "are"
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That's right, hacconuongdn-- 'a handful' is the singular grammatical subject, which would take 'is', and 'farmers' is the plural notional subject, which would take 'are'.
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That's right, hacconuongdn-- 'a handful' is the singular grammatical subject, which would take 'is', and 'farmers' is the plural notional subject, which would take 'are'.
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