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Hela Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

singular or plural

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me WHY we use a plural verb after "the majority"?

The majority ARE going to vote against him.
The great majority of incomes CONSIST of wages and salaries.

Best wishes,
Hela
  

Top answer

Hi Hela All kinds of opinions have been offered about words like majority requiring a singular or a plural verb. If you prefer singular, in my opinion you can use it in your sentences: The majority is/are going to vote against him. The great majority of incomes consist(s) of wages and salaries.

— Cool Breeze

  • Hi Hela All kinds of opinions have been offered about words like majority requiring a singular or a plural verb.
  • If you prefer singular, in my opinion you can use it in your sentences: The majority is/are going to vote against him.
  • The great majority of incomes consist(s) of wages and salaries.
  • I know many people disagree with me, though.
  • Cheers CB
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17 Answers
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Hi Hela

All kinds of opinions have been offered about words like majority requiring a singular or a plural verb. If you prefer singular, in my opinion you can use it in your sentences:

The majority is/are going to vote against him.
The great majority of incomes consist(s) of wages and salaries.

I know many people disagree with me, though.

Cheers
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the majority is, in essence, a form of most which is exclusively a countable (unlike most, which can be countable or noncountable).

Here are fifteen spoons. The majority of the spoons are made of silver. The majority are made of silver.

Can the majority be just one? How can one spoon be the majority in a group of fifteen?

What e
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CalifJimthe majority is, in essence, a form of most which is exclusively a countable (unlike most, which can be countable or noncountable).

Here are fifteen spoons. The majority of the spoons are made of silver. The majority are made of silver.

Can the majority be just one? How can one spoon be the majority in a gr
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Dear teachers,

Now, if we look at the following sentences:

1) Neither my brotheR nor my sisteR WANTS to go to the festival.

Would you say that we should use a singular verb because:

a) the construction "neither/either... nor/or" commands it;

OR because

b) it's the form of the closest subject to the verb that commands it ?

2) Neither m
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Well, this problem has disturbed me for a long time, either.

The common logic does not always work while judging a subject is singular or plural.

And I think the following link has something to do with this thread, please also read it if you like. Thanks!

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Yes, Hela, when you have an "OR" as part of your subject, the verb takes the singular or plural based on the one closest to it.

Either my brother my sisters want to vacation in the moutnains, but I forget which.

Either my sisters or my brother wants ...
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b Proximity principle for either ... or / neither ... nor.

Is either your brother or your parents attending?
Neither my parents nor my brother is attending.

[Frankly, I don't like this rule, and in casual speech I break it all the time!
I would have used "are" in both sentences above! I'm so bad!]

CJ
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CalifJimproofread!
Was that directed at me? What did I do? I sneak in posts in-between work tasks, so sometimes I do make errors.
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