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Ganesh77 Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
subject-verb agreement
0 A member of our staff has asked for a holiday. 02 br
00 A number of people have asked for a holiday. 02 br
00 In this first sentence, the verb agrees with 'member'. Compare: A member has.. A member of our staff has.. 02 br
00 In the second sentence, the verb agrees with 'people'. Yet compare: A number has.. A number of people have.. 02 br
00 I was under the impression the verb needs to agree with the word that precedes the "of x" as in the sentence. Compare: Our range of products starts from $250. 02 br
00 Can anyone shed light on the usage of that second sentence? 0-
00 A number of people have asked for a holiday. 02 br
00 In this first sentence, the verb agrees with 'member'. Compare: A member has.. A member of our staff has.. 02 br
00 In the second sentence, the verb agrees with 'people'. Yet compare: A number has.. A number of people have.. 02 br
00 I was under the impression the verb needs to agree with the word that precedes the "of x" as in the sentence. Compare: Our range of products starts from $250. 02 br
00 Can anyone shed light on the usage of that second sentence? 0-
Top answer
02 br 02 br 01 b 00 The number 02 b 00 of X 01 b 00 IS 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the quantity itself. The number of people attending is higher than last year. 02 br 02 br 01 b 00 A number 02 b 00 of Y 01 b 00 ARE 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the many people.
- 02 br 02 br 01 b 00 The number 02 b 00 of X 01 b 00 IS 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the quantity itself.
- The number of people attending is higher than last year.
- 02 br 02 br 01 b 00 A number 02 b 00 of Y 01 b 00 ARE 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the many people.
- A number of people are coming - make sure you have plenty of food.
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1 Answers
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0 Hi ganesh, 02 br
02 br
00 You'll find that this has been discussed a lot in here. 02 br
02 br
01 b 00 The number 02 b 00 of X 01 b 00 IS 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the quantity itself. The number of people attending is higher than last year. The number of students per teacher is lower in my school than in the Philadelphia schools. 02 b
02 br
00 You'll find that this has been discussed a lot in here. 02 br
02 br
01 b 00 The number 02 b 00 of X 01 b 00 IS 02 b 00 -- emphasis on the quantity itself. The number of people attending is higher than last year. The number of students per teacher is lower in my school than in the Philadelphia schools. 02 b
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