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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Please help me with this sentence
Which one is correct?
a. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that were recorded from 1951 through 2010 is three.
b. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that were recorded from 1951 through 2010 was three.
c. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that was recorded from 1951 through 2010 is three.
d. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that was recorded from 1951 through 2010 was three.
e. The mean annual number of major hurricanes, which were recorded from 1951 through 2010, is three.
f. ?
a. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that were recorded from 1951 through 2010 is three.
b. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that were recorded from 1951 through 2010 was three.
c. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that was recorded from 1951 through 2010 is three.
d. The mean annual number of major hurricanes that was recorded from 1951 through 2010 was three.
e. The mean annual number of major hurricanes, which were recorded from 1951 through 2010, is three.
f. ?
Top answer
In my opinion, they are all correct, although e sounds clunky. b sounds best to me. The 'was', 'is' and 'were' can all refer to different things in the sentence; they can refer to the hurricanes themselves (were), the number that was recorded as it stands now (is), or the number that was recorded at the time after it was recorded (was).
- In my opinion, they are all correct, although e sounds clunky.
- b sounds best to me.
- The 'was', 'is' and 'were' can all refer to different things in the sentence; they can refer to the hurricanes themselves (were), the number that was recorded as it stands now (is), or the number that was recorded at the time after it was recorded (was).
- So I think it's a matter of taste and emphasis and whether you want to talk about the hurricanes or the number, and in the past or present.
- And personally I'd want to write From 1951 to 2010, three major hurricanes were recorded per year on average.
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1 Answers
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In my opinion, they are all correct, although e sounds clunky.
b sounds best to me.
The 'was', 'is' and 'were' can all refer to different things in the sentence; they can refer to the hurricanes themselves (were), the number that was recorded as it stands now (is), or the number that was recorded at the time after it was recorded (was).
So I think it's a matter of taste
b sounds best to me.
The 'was', 'is' and 'were' can all refer to different things in the sentence; they can refer to the hurricanes themselves (were), the number that was recorded as it stands now (is), or the number that was recorded at the time after it was recorded (was).
So I think it's a matter of taste
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