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Coloraday Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Is this sentence correct?

In a book, I found this sentence .I don't know whether the colored part is right or not.Is the "s" after the game right or not?
The Olympics consist of a two-week summer games and a 10-day winter competition. 
Thanks
  

Top answer

Well, the grammar does look odd, but this is a reasonable exception-- 'a games' = one set of games. From the American Heritage Dictionary : games An organized athletic program or contest: track-and-field games; took part in the winter games.

— Mister Micawber

  • Well, the grammar does look odd, but this is a reasonable exception-- 'a games' = one set of games.
  • From the American Heritage Dictionary : games An organized athletic program or contest: track-and-field games; took part in the winter games.
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6 Answers
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Well, the grammar does look odd, but this is a reasonable exception-- 'a games' = one set of games. From the American Heritage Dictionary:
  1. games An organized athletic program or contest: track-and-field games; took part in the winter games.
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It was probably right when it was written. The games and the current usages are institutionalized, so to speak, and we can't solve the problem by looking in a grammar book.

For example, I may be wrong, but I believe "The Olympics" is now considered singular, so we'd say, "The Olympics is held every four years," or "The Olympic Games are held every four years."

- A.

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But can you give me a grammatical reason for its correctness?
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Yes. It is considered a singular noun by many native speakers.
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Mister Micawber.

Yes.  It is considered a singular noun by many native speakers.
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Is it a grammatical reason?

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