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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Confusion with agreement
Hi,
I would really appreciate some help as I am very confused, and should know better, probably, as a native UK English speaker (although I don't recall ever being taught much grammar at school).
Is the following grammatically correct?
The temperature of the cat and dog are high. (1)
My intended meaning is `The temperature of the cat and the temperature of the dog are high.' (or `The temperature of the cat and that of the dog are high.'). (2)
Is it legitimate and grammatically correct to reduce (2) to (1)?
The reason I ask is that although (1) seems instinctive, at least to me, I wonder whether `temperature ... are' then causes a grammatical error, or is (1) OK because the meaning should be understood?
OR, should (1) be `The temperatures of the cat and the dog are high.'. (3)?
I'd be very grateful if someone could point me in the direction of a good reference/source to read up on this issue. I'm not even sure what such a rule would be called; I don't know what to type into Google.
Any help much appreciated.
Thank you
I would really appreciate some help as I am very confused, and should know better, probably, as a native UK English speaker (although I don't recall ever being taught much grammar at school).
Is the following grammatically correct?
The temperature of the cat and dog are high. (1)
My intended meaning is `The temperature of the cat and the temperature of the dog are high.' (or `The temperature of the cat and that of the dog are high.'). (2)
Is it legitimate and grammatically correct to reduce (2) to (1)?
The reason I ask is that although (1) seems instinctive, at least to me, I wonder whether `temperature ... are' then causes a grammatical error, or is (1) OK because the meaning should be understood?
OR, should (1) be `The temperatures of the cat and the dog are high.'. (3)?
I'd be very grateful if someone could point me in the direction of a good reference/source to read up on this issue. I'm not even sure what such a rule would be called; I don't know what to type into Google.
Any help much appreciated.
Thank you
Top answer
I would write The temperatures of the cat and the dog are high . edu/grammar /
- I would write The temperatures of the cat and the dog are high .
- edu/grammar /
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3 Answers
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I would write The temperatures of the cat and the dog are high.
I'm not sure what to type into Google to get a direct link to this specific topic, but here are some links to helpful sites on grammar and English usage:
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/
I'm not sure what to type into Google to get a direct link to this specific topic, but here are some links to helpful sites on grammar and English usage:
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/
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Thank you so much for your quick reply.
Can I just clarify, is (1) actually grammatically incorrect then?
And, thank you also for the links, very kind.
The problem I've had when trying to research this is that I can't find a specific example that matches my question.
Thank you again
Can I just clarify, is (1) actually grammatically incorrect then?
And, thank you also for the links, very kind.
The problem I've had when trying to research this is that I can't find a specific example that matches my question.
Thank you again
00
AnonymousCan I just clarify, is (1) actually grammatically incorrect then?Yes, you have two temperatures (the cat's temperature and the dog's temperature), so you need the plural, and the verb must agree with the subject:
The temperature is high.
The temperatures are high.
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