Plural

Question

A recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were four years ago.

Should n't it use was instead? Please explain why is it using plural ?

Thanks

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Four years ago there were many. Now there are four times as many.

Pokh · Answer

AvangiFour years ago there were many. Now there are four times as many.

Thanks Avangi,

Cant't it be interpreted as

Four years ago there was 1 microcomputer for 128. Now there is (1 for 32) =>four times as many.=>1 for 32

Avangi · Answer

My quick answer didn't anticipate your next question. Your "interpretation" of the facts is as valid as mine, but we seem to have a grammatical problem.

I seem to be stumped for the moment.

Even if you knew the answer would be "one," you could not ask, "How many was there?"

I think perhaps "two" can be "many" but "one" cannot. Of course you can say, "There was one."

A thousand pardons. I seem to be too tired to think it through at the moment. Maybe later!

Best regards, - A.

Pokh · Answer

AvangiMy quick answer didn't anticipate your next question. Your "interpretation" of the facts is as valid as mine, but we seem to have a grammatical problem.

I seem to be stumped for the moment.

Even if you knew the answer would be "one," you could not ask, "How many was there?"
I think perhaps "two" can be "many" but "one" cannot. Of course you can say, "There was one."

A thousand pardons. I seem to be too tired to think it through at the moment. Maybe later!

Best regards, - A.

Avangi I am still waiting for your response..

Liveinjapan · Answer

I think the bold part is an appositive clause for 'there is ....pupils' and describes the fact in terms of numbers.

The sentence could mean "A recent national study shows that there are four times as many microcomputers (for pupils) as there were four years ago, indicating there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils."

Avangi · Answer

Hi, LiJ,

The interpretation/meaning is clear enough.

It's the agreement problem with "many" that catches.

A.

Edit. Yes, you're right. It was a foolish exercise to try to revise the original sentence.

Mister Micawber · Answer

The native reader naturally & subconsciously inserts the elided 'computers' into the statement:

A recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many [computers] as there were four years ago.

Avangi · Answer

pokhA recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were four years ago.

We can't escape the fact that "there was many" is not grammatical. ("as many as there was")

Aside from that, if "one" is four times the previous number, then the previous number is "one fourth."

(The ratio used to be one fourth of one computer for every thirty-two pupils, or one for every 128 pupils.)

The natural way to take your sentence is that the expression "one for thirty-two" (although a ratio) indirectly represents the total number of computers, and that total number is four times what it used to be.

There are four times as many computers as there were four years ago.

If you want to say that the ratio improved by a factor of four, you'll never be able to fix your sentence to make it say that.

(Maybe the number of computers is still the same, but there are only a quarter as many students.)

pokhCant't it be interpreted as
Four years ago there was 1 microcomputer for 128. Now there is (1 for 32) =>four times as many.=>1 for 32

What's the antecedent of "it"?

No, your original sentence cannot be interpreted that way. Even if it could, that would be no excuse to replace "were" with "was."

Yes, of course, if you want to express the upgrade as a ratio of students per computer instead of as the total sum of computers, your substitute sentence is fine. But I think you must realize that these are two different concepts.

If the author of the original sentence were any kind of statistician, he would not have mixed apples and oranges.

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