0
Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
GRAMMAR
The OXFORD SITE says that a plural verb should be used after the subject MORE THAN ONE and gives the following note with example:
Some expressions are tricky because they are grammatically ambiguous, for example phrases such as more than one:
More than one in ten health club members ?admit/?admits to joining a gym for social reasons.
The subject of this sentence may at first glance appear to be singular. But it's actually plural, i.e. members rather than one member. You need to use the plural verb admit:
MORE THAN ONE in ten health club members ADMIT to joining a gym for social reasons.
But what I have learned is that MORE THAN ONE is followed by a singular verb. THE COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik also says that we should use a singular verb after MORE THAN ONE.
The difference of opinion about this aspect of grammar really confuses us very much. Who is right and who is wrong or are both correct?
Some expressions are tricky because they are grammatically ambiguous, for example phrases such as more than one:
More than one in ten health club members ?admit/?admits to joining a gym for social reasons.
The subject of this sentence may at first glance appear to be singular. But it's actually plural, i.e. members rather than one member. You need to use the plural verb admit:
MORE THAN ONE in ten health club members ADMIT to joining a gym for social reasons.
But what I have learned is that MORE THAN ONE is followed by a singular verb. THE COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik also says that we should use a singular verb after MORE THAN ONE.
The difference of opinion about this aspect of grammar really confuses us very much. Who is right and who is wrong or are both correct?
Top answer
admits to joining a gym for social reasons. I would use admit because the subject, I agree, is members. admits to joining a gym for social reasons, I would use admits because the subject is member .
- admits to joining a gym for social reasons.
- I would use admit because the subject, I agree, is members.
- admits to joining a gym for social reasons, I would use admits because the subject is member .
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
More than one in ten health club members ?admit/?admits to joining a gym for social reasons.
I would use admit because the subject, I agree, is members.
But if the sentence is rephrased as More than one health club member ?admit/?admits to joining a gym for social reasons, I would use admits because the subject is member.
I would use admit because the subject, I agree, is members.
But if the sentence is rephrased as More than one health club member ?admit/?admits to joining a gym for social reasons, I would use admits because the subject is member.
0
Related Questions