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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Allow or Allows?

Can someone please tell me which is correct?

Google Docs is a suite of products (spreadsheet, documents, forms) that allow you to share information more easily. In 5 minutes you can set up a feedback request form that you can email to a customer after an installation. Then use the feedback for customer testimonials on your website.

Google Docs is a suite of products (spreadsheet, documents, forms) that allows you to share information more easily. In 5 minutes you can set up a feedback request form that you can email to a customer after an installation. Then use the feedback for customer testimonials on your website.
  

Top answer

The main subject is the word "suite," which is singular and therefore "allows" is the correct verb form.

— BarbaraPA

  • The main subject is the word "suite," which is singular and therefore "allows" is the correct verb form.
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21 Answers
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The main subject is the word "suite," which is singular and therefore "allows" is the correct verb form.
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My immediate reaction to the subject verb agreement is "products" agreeing with "allow".
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I would say that either verb is correct depending on whether you view the subject as 'suite' or 'products'.
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Having seen the response and felt doubtful myself, I did some searching, here is one of the "verb agreement" rules from http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp

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here the subject is "google docs" which is singular so no doubt the verb should be "allows"
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Thank you all for your replies. We are still debating this in my office. I did a Google search for the exact phrases:

1. "a suite of products that allows you" and

2. "a suite of products that allow you"

"allows" got 6 results

"allow" got 1,090,000 results

Either there are lot of wrong websites or "allow" is correct....
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dimsum, your examples don't apply. Fifty percent of something plural is still plural. One-third of something plural is still plural.

Anon, the subject of entire sentence is Google docs, but it's not the subject of the clause we are debating.

So answer this question for your final answer:

Is it the SUITE that allows the user to share the information?

or
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Grammar Geekdimsum, your examples don't apply. Fifty percent of something plural is still plural. One-third of something plural is still plural.
I agree. There is a separate rule for percentages and fractions, but that rule doesn't apply in this case.

In this case, we can't know from the evidence of the sentence itself what exactly is in the mind o
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Hi GG,

I think the area of confusion, or "doubts" if you will, exists in situations where a "quantifier" is used in front of a plural noun. Correct me if I am wrong. Fifty percent - is a unit of something, and it's generally considered singular, I think we can agree that much; can't we?.

But "Fifty percent of the people in this town doesn't believe in same *** marriage" t
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dimsumexpress
I think the area of confusion, or "doubts" if you will, exists in situations where a "quantifier" is used in front of a plural noun. Correct me if I am wrong. Fifty percent - is a unit of something, and it's generally considered singular, I think we can agree that much; can't we?.

No, we don't agree here.

"Fifty percent off
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