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Ditch Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Plural Subject, Plural Verb, Singular Object

I only know the basics of English grammar, and someone just asked me a question that completely stumped me.

"These days, more and more people have mobile phones, and most young people seem to have one."

Why is it acceptable for the object to be "one" when the subject and the verb are both plural?
  

Top answer

Although there are some languages where verb-object agreement is used, in English the verb agrees in number with the subject, not with the object. In English you have a subject, either singular or plural, and possibly an object, either singular or plural. It doesn't matter which you choose for either subject or object.

— CalifJim

  • Although there are some languages where verb-object agreement is used, in English the verb agrees in number with the subject, not with the object.
  • In English you have a subject, either singular or plural, and possibly an object, either singular or plural.
  • It doesn't matter which you choose for either subject or object.
  • But when you add the verb into the mix, you make it agree with the subject, not with the object.
  • ) In your example, the agreement is shown in the words people seem .
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26 Answers
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Although there are some languages where verb-object agreement is used, in English the verb agrees in number with the subject, not with the object. In English you have a subject, either singular or plural, and possibly an object, either singular or plural. It doesn't matter which you choose for either subject or object. But when you add the verb into the mix, you make it agree with the subject,
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Hi Ditch:
Consider a simpler form:
Most families have a TV.
This does not mean that there is one TV shared by a lot of families, but that a large percentage of families each own their own TV.
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So, the verb has to agree in number with the subject, but the object doesn't have to agree in number with the verb? Makes sense. I'd just never thought about the grammar behind sentences like the one I posted. All I remember from school is "make the verb agree with the subject."

Thanks guys.
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So, just to clarify, there's no such thing as subject-object agreement or verb-object agreement in English, right?
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Ditchthere's no such thing as subject-object agreement or verb-object agreement in English, right?
Right.
Let me know if you find anything that claims otherwise!
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Hello again!


I found this exchange on another forum:



A)


I read the following from
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DitchPlease help me out and choose either 1. or 2.

1. 'B' is wrong. Since "Most families own a TV" is also acceptable, "The cats have a flea collar" is also acceptable.
>> The key word is "most". "The cats have a flea collar." means that there is one flea collar and the cats take turns wearing it. If you say "All cats / most cats / some cats
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You just asked about one of the most difficult things in English... at least for me. Emotion: smile It took me a lot of time to understand, and I
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Thank you both for shedding some light on this!

"The key word is 'most'."

I suspected as much. What if the sentence is modified by an adverb?

"Sometimes, the cats have a collar."
"Usually, the cats have a collar."
"Often, the cats have a collar."
"Typically, the cats have a collar."
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