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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage

Plural or singular meaning?

Hello community,
I've got an intriguing question for native speakers. Some may consider it a matter of hair splitting, however, here is the sentence from a speech on glabalisation by Kofi Annan:
... It has resulted in endless enmity and conflict, leading men and women to commit the greatest of crimes in the name of a higher power.

is "the greatest of crimes" plural or singular.
(the German translation requires our decision, is it: "das groesste Verbrechen" or "die groessten Verbrechen")
kind regards and many thanks
Emil
  

Top answer

Kofi Annan: [nq:2]... It has resulted in endless enmity and conflict, leading ... )[/nq] Expressions like "the greatest" can be plural or singular, depending on the context.

  • Kofi Annan: [nq:2]...
  • It has resulted in endless enmity and conflict, leading ...
  • )[/nq] Expressions like "the greatest" can be plural or singular, depending on the context.
  • " Annan could have said "the greatest crimes" or "the greatest crime", which would enable us to tell singular from plural, but he didn't; the expression that suited his sense best was "the greatest of crimes", and that could, in isolation, be read either way.
  • This time, however, I think it's clearly plural.
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4 Answers
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Kofi Annan:
[nq:2]... It has resulted in endless enmity and conflict, leading ... greatest of crimes in the name of a higher power.[/nq]
Emil Veit:
[nq:1](I)s "the greatest of crimes" plural or singular(?)[/nq]
Expressions like "the greatest" can be plural or singular, depending on the context. "The greatest teams in hockey in those days were the Maple Leafs, the Red Wings, and the
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[nq:1]I've got an intriguing question for native speakers. Some may consider it a matter of hair splitting, however, here is ... of crimes" plural or singular. (the German translation requires our decision, is it: "das groesste Verbrechen" or "die groessten Verbrechen")[/nq]
Almost certainly plural. I think that the context would have to have already established which crime he specifically mea
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[nq:1]Hello community, I've got an intriguing question for native speakers. Some may consider ita matter of hair splitting, however, here ... of crimes" plural or singular. (the German translation requires our decision, is it: "das groesste Verbrechen" or "die groessten Verbrechen")[/nq]
Because English does not make adjectives decline,
"greatest" could be either singular or plural.
Si
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[nq:1]Hello community, I've got an intriguing question for native speakers. Some may consider it a matter of hair splitting, however, ... German translation requires our decision, is it: "das groesste Verbrechen" or "die groessten Verbrechen") kind regards and many thanks Emil[/nq]
Can be either. 'Murder is the greatest of crimes'. 'Murder, rape and blasphemy are the greatest of crimes'.
B

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