0
Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
Choosing verb number
I wonder if someone could suggest how I should
frame a search in the AUE archives. I'd like
to read what has been said regarding a particular
issue, but I don't know what the issue is called.
It has to do with the choice that people make
in the assigning singular or plural verbs when
dealing with ambiguous numbers in the subject.
For example, I mean the choice between:
"Six inches of snow has fallen" and "six inches
of snow have fallen", and between "a group of
people were" and "a group of people was".
What is the name (if there is one) for this
category of usage?
Michael West
Melbourne, Australia
frame a search in the AUE archives. I'd like
to read what has been said regarding a particular
issue, but I don't know what the issue is called.
It has to do with the choice that people make
in the assigning singular or plural verbs when
dealing with ambiguous numbers in the subject.
For example, I mean the choice between:
"Six inches of snow has fallen" and "six inches
of snow have fallen", and between "a group of
people were" and "a group of people was".
What is the name (if there is one) for this
category of usage?
Michael West
Melbourne, Australia
Top answer
You know, I used to think that subject-verb number agreement depended on how many individuals were in the set refered to by the subject, but it seems to suck up to the head noun, instead, irregardless of logic. You can even say explicitly that you're refering to more than one thing and it takes singular: More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam. - Bill F.
- You know, I used to think that subject-verb number agreement depended on how many individuals were in the set refered to by the subject, but it seems to suck up to the head noun, instead, irregardless of logic.
- You can even say explicitly that you're refering to more than one thing and it takes singular: More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam.
- - Bill F.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
5 Answers
0
You know, I used to think that subject-verb number agreement depended on how many individuals were in the set refered to by the subject, but it seems to suck up to the head noun, instead, irregardless of logic. You can even say explicitly that you're refering to more than one thing and it takes singular:
More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam.
- Bill F.
More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam.
- Bill F.
00
[nq:1]You know, I used to think that subject-verb number agreement depended on how many individuals were in the set refered to by the subject, but it seems to suck up to the head noun, instead, irregardless[/nq]
Nice!
[nq:1]of logic. You can even say explicitly that you're refering to more than one thing and it takes singular: More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam.[/nq
Nice!
[nq:1]of logic. You can even say explicitly that you're refering to more than one thing and it takes singular: More than one race car driver has failed his driver's exam.[/nq
00
[nq:1]There's no good "grammatical" reason why "more than one" takes a singular verb it just does.[/nq]
Sure there's a good grammatical reason! The reason is that it takes a singular noun. And verbs agree with their nouns.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
Sure there's a good grammatical reason! The reason is that it takes a singular noun. And verbs agree with their nouns.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
00
[nq:2]And I've already pointed out (see above) that NSOED ... I hope you'll agree that "villagers" is always plural. [/nq]
[nq:1]Of course "village" can connote its villagers, but not on its own it needs to be qualified by "all ... top of this post would be fine in Rightpondia but it certainly isn't. Would it be fine in Leftpondia?[/nq]
"The village are at work" you mean? No, that's
[nq:1]Of course "village" can connote its villagers, but not on its own it needs to be qualified by "all ... top of this post would be fine in Rightpondia but it certainly isn't. Would it be fine in Leftpondia?[/nq]
"The village are at work" you mean? No, that's
00
[nq:2] There is no Rightpondian alive or dead who prefers: ... but it certainly isn't. Would it be fine in Leftpondia?[/nq]
[nq:1]"The village are at work" you mean? No, that's dead wrong and absolutely unacceptable in Leftpondian English.[/nq]
Thank you. I don't know why Bob prefers to take the word of Ian Hobson & a Cambridge dictionary over me & the whole of Googledom, but there you go.
[nq:1]"The village are at work" you mean? No, that's dead wrong and absolutely unacceptable in Leftpondian English.[/nq]
Thank you. I don't know why Bob prefers to take the word of Ian Hobson & a Cambridge dictionary over me & the whole of Googledom, but there you go.
0
Related Questions