Comparing groups with 'who'

Question

Hi!  Would please help me out?Given the following phrase:"We are strong, so are they."and the questions(1) Who is stronger?(2) Who are stronger?The problem is:  which of the  questions is correct if I want as answer"We are stronger than they are."?If neither, would you please comment on the grammatical use of 'who' in the comparison structures?Many thanks in advance.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Anonymous1) Who is stronger?
(2) Who are stronger?
The problem is: which of the questions is correct if I want as answer
"We are stronger than they are."?

It doesn't matter what you want as an answer, because you never know what the answer is going to be. It's "Who is ...?" in the general case.

If you really want to compare groups, use "Which group is stronger?" or "Whose team is stronger?" or a similar phrasing. Now if the context makes it clear that only a plurality can be the answer (and maybe this is what you're getting at), then you might ask "Who are stronger?" but you can ask "Who is stronger?" even so. It depends on how clearly you've set up the context.

You have "Who are" (or "Who were", etc.) with a plural noun or pronoun, however:

Who are we? / Who are they? / Who are the strongest men on the team? / Who were the first three presidents of the U.S.? / Who were those people collecting money at the entrance of the store?

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks a lot for your reply.

A crystal clear explanation! I really appreciated your help.

Many thanks again, and have a good day.

Comparing groups with 'who'

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