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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Subject / verb mismatch

I'm trying to help a friend with his English, he wrote this sentence:

The app store has many fancy applications that attracts people.

I can tell him that it should read "attract", but I'm not quite sure why. I used an online grammar checker and it stated "subject / verb mismatch", but it's not helping me explain the mistake in terms he (or I!) can understand. Help!
  

Top answer

'Applications' is a plural noun, so you need a plural verb, 'attract': One application attracts Two applications attract

— Mister Micawber

  • 'Applications' is a plural noun, so you need a plural verb, 'attract': One application attracts Two applications attract
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5 Answers
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'Applications' is a plural noun, so you need a plural verb, 'attract':

One application attracts
Two applications attract
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Thank you Mr Micawber (I like Dickens too).

He was talking about how "app store" is the subject, so he thought the verb should agree with that, rather than "applications". Truth is, talk of subjects, object and whatever else confuses me...in this sentence, "applications" is an object? Or am I just overcomplicating matters?
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'That' refers to applications, not the store.
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Excellent, thank you.

One more phrase:

Imposing taxes are much better than....

How to explain that "Imposing taxes" is singular?
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It is a single activity, so it should read 'Imposing taxes is...'
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