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Farihasaleh Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Subject-verb agreement

Please tell me which ones are correct:

1. 20g and 50g of sugar and rice was consumed.
2. 20g and 50g of sugar and rice were consumed.
Since both nouns are uncountable, which one should be used and why?

3. The highest number of cars were manufactured in 2001.
4. The highest number of cars was manufactured in 2001.
Which is the subject of this sentence - 'number' or 'cars'?

5. The number of houses built in 2005 was 50.
6. The number of houses built in 2005 were 50.
Since the subject is 'number' shouldn't the singular form be used?

Thanks a lot!

Fariha.
  

Top answer

Care must be taken while using nouns linked with and . If nouns are treated as separate things, plural verb must take place. Tea and cofee are the most popular drinks.

  • Care must be taken while using nouns linked with and .
  • If nouns are treated as separate things, plural verb must take place.
  • Tea and cofee are the most popular drinks.
  • _____________________________________ Sometimes, some expressions joined by and have singular determiners, verbs and pronouns.
  • This happens when the two nouns used together and we think of them as a single idea.
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3 Answers
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Care must be taken while using nouns linked with and. If nouns are treated as separate things, plural verb must take place.

Tea and cofee are the most popular drinks.
_____________________________________

Sometimes, some expressions joined by and have singular determiners, verbs and pronouns. This happens when the two nouns used together and we
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Thanks!
I still have some confusion and I'd like to share it.

In #6, doesn't the subject refer to the quantity of houses as a whole? Since I want to say that the number is 50, shouldn't the verb be 'was'. Can you please tell me why we are treating 'houses' as the subject and not 'number'?
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The number of of takes plural as usual

When we are talking about amounts and quantities we usualyy use singular determiners, verbs and pronouns even if the noun is plural.

Where is the five pounds I lent you?
Twenty miles is a long way to walk.
We've got only five litres of gas. - That's enough to get the

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