How does plural agreement work??

Question

Hi, I need some information on adjective-noun agreement in English.

In this senteces, should the word economy go in singular or in plural?:
it depends on the global and domestic economy / economies it depends both on the global and domestic economy /economies

as far as I know, we're talking about two different economies, so it should be plural. Is it the same as "Victorian and Edwardian periods" or "French and English revolutions". In these last cases, is the plural correct?
And finally, do you know where can I find references for this issue?

Thanks a lot!!!

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi, I need some information on adjective-noun agreement in English. In this senteces, should the word economy go in singular ... In these last cases, is the plural correct? And finally, do you know where can I find references for thisissue?[/nq]
You seem to have the right idea: if there's more than one, it's in the plural. You won't need a reference for it.
Where difficulty may arise for a learner might be with such abstract-noun expressions as "I beg your pardon". Is it in the singular when you're speaking to one person, and the plural when you're speaking to more than one? No, it's singular in both cases. Similarly, we'd normally say "Admission cost us tweny pounds for four people", not *"Admissions..."
There may be other examples in your mind, but I won't try to guess what they may be: do ask, as some possibilities are a bit difficult.

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi, I need some information on adjective-noun agreement in English.[/nq]
Um, wrong term. Adjectives and nouns don't agree in English. At all. Especially not in number, which is what 'plural' means. We all go to a 'shoe store', never a '*shoes store', even though it's a place where 'shoes' (pl) are sold, and never a place where you buy a single shoe.
[nq:1]In these sentences, should the word "economy" be singular or plural?[/nq]
Yes, it has to be either singular or plural.
That's a good statement of the rule.
[nq:1]it depends on the global and domestic economy / economies it depends both on the global and domestic economy /economies ... the same as "Victorian and Edwardian periods" or "French and English revolutions". In these last cases, is the plural correct?[/nq]
Yeah, that about does it. If you're talking about a unit, like (say) 'William and Mary', then you get a singular, like "William and Mary's foreign policy'; if the things you mention can be reasonably expected to be separate, you need a plural. Not really a rule of grammar; just a rule of making clear what you mean.
[nq:1]And finally, do you know where can I find references for this issue?[/nq]
Look on Google or Google Scholar for 'split controller' or 'conjunction reduction' or 'conjunctive plural'.
-John Lawler U Michigan http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/disclaimers.html "Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muß man schweigen." - Wittgenstein

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Um, wrong term. Adjectives and nouns don't agree in English. At all. Especially not in number, which is what 'plural' ... even though it's a place where 'shoes' (pl) are sold, and never a place where you buy a single shoe.[/nq]
There's one major exception: the adjective "woman" does agree with its noun in number: "woman suffrage" but "women executives".

I've never understood why this exception exists.

Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://oakroadsystems.com
A: Maybe because some people are too annoyed by top-posting. Q: Why do I not get an answer to my question(s)?
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]-John Lawler U Michigan http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/disclaimers.htm=l =- "Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, dar=FCber mu=DF man schweigen." - Wittgen=stein[/nq]
If only our politicians were made to study Wittgenstein. =20
dg (domain=3Dccwebster)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]You seem to have the right idea: if there's more than one, it's in the plural.[/nq]
Uh, not quite; vide:
More than one race car driver has died a fiery death. *More than one race car driver have died a fiery death. *More than one race car drivers have died fiery deaths.

- Bill F.

Usenet · Answer

Thanks to you all!!!
I think i got the idea. but then, is explosives experts the second exception, together with women?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]You seem to have the right idea: if there's more than one, it's in the plural.[/nq]
[nq:1]Uh, not quite; vide: More than one race car driver has died a fiery death. *More than one race car driver have died a fiery death. *More than one race car drivers have died fiery deaths.[/nq]
I see what you mean, but I don't think that's an exception: an equally acceptable alternative version would be "A number of racing car drivers have died fiery deaths". It depends here what's in the mind of the writer: if she wants to use an expression with "one", then the singular comes naturally. I did say "if there's more than one", not "if there's 'more than one'".
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Thanks to you all!!! I think i got the idea. but then, is explosives experts the second exception, together with women?[/nq]
There are others, all fixed forms, like 'drugs policy' = 'policy on drugs'.

In each of them the first, ostensively plural, item is a noun that's been fixed in its form as a plural. 'Explosives', for instance, means the set of all kinds of things with the property that they can explode, particularly if made to do so on purpose.
'Explosive', by contrast, is either an adjective expressing that property, or a count noun referring to only one kind of thing with that property. 'Dynamite is explosive' = 'Dynamite is an explosive'.

So an 'explosives expert' is an expert in explosives; an 'explosive expert' might be understood that way, but it could also mean an expert with the property of exploding (perhaps emotionally), or an expert in one kind of explosives.
The general rule is mostly right, but as in all fields which deal with human behavior, there are (sigh) exceptions.
-John Lawler U of Michigan Linguistics Dept
#include disclaimers.h
http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/disclaimers.html

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Thanks to you all!!! I think i got the idea. but then, is explosives experts the second exception, together with women?[/nq]
[nq:1]There are others, all fixed forms, like 'drugs policy' = 'policy on drugs'.[/nq]
So, John, are you saying it's "women executives" because it would have been "executives who are women"?
If that's the case, why are people who build houses called "house builders" instead of "houses builders"?
Since the subject has come up, I really would like to know about this "women executives" thing. I think I understand your "drugs policy" example, but I'm having trouble seeing how far it can go.

Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://oakroadsystems.com
A: Maybe because some people are too annoyed by top-posting. Q: Why do I not get an answer to my question(s)?
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

How does plural agreement work??

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