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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

ensures, ensure

I read the following sentence today, and I just can't reason why 'ensures' is used as opposed to 'ensure'

Any help would be welcome...

Thanks!

"Smaller numbers, and the availability of tutors during the summer, ensures this is the case" (The preceding sentence speaks of the quality of teaching etc)
  

Top answer

Hi, I read the following sentence today, and I just can't reason why 'ensures' is used as opposed to 'ensure' Any help would be welcome... Thanks! "Smaller numbers, and the availability of tutors during the summer, ensures this is the case" (The preceding sentence speaks of the quality of teaching etc) To try to understand why the writer wrote this way, you have to try to understand his thinking.

— Clive

  • Hi, I read the following sentence today, and I just can't reason why 'ensures' is used as opposed to 'ensure' Any help would be welcome...
  • Thanks!
  • "Smaller numbers, and the availability of tutors during the summer, ensures this is the case" (The preceding sentence speaks of the quality of teaching etc) To try to understand why the writer wrote this way, you have to try to understand his thinking.
  • I guess the writer was thinking of 'smaller numbers' as the subject, and 'and the availability of tutors during the summer' as a parenthetical comment rather than as a joint subject.
  • In addition, the writer seems to have been thinking of the plural 'smaller numbers' as a 'singular reason'.
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2 Answers
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Hi,

I read the following sentence today, and I just can't reason why 'ensures' is used as opposed to 'ensure'

Any help would be welcome...

Thanks!

"Smaller numbers, and the availability of tutors during the summer, ensures this is the case" (The preceding
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