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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

the 'number and correct' dilemma

Hi,

Can you tell me why do I see a lot of cases where the indefinite article 'a' is used instead of the definite article 'the' when the presumption is that there is only one correct or wrong anything at a moment ?

You should try to find a correct course of action for the situation you are in right now.

Can you also tell me why in this sentence the verb for 'the number' is plural when I think it is known to be 'number transparent' as CalifJim seem to have said?

The attendance at an event is the number of people who are present ...
  

Top answer

You should try to find a correct course of action for the situation you are in right now. This suggests that there is more than one correct course of action. The attendance at an event is the number of people who are present The clause, ' who are present ' is restrictive, modifying ' people ', which is plural-- the ' are ' agrees with ' people ', not ' number '.

— Mister Micawber

  • You should try to find a correct course of action for the situation you are in right now.
  • This suggests that there is more than one correct course of action.
  • The attendance at an event is the number of people who are present The clause, ' who are present ' is restrictive, modifying ' people ', which is plural-- the ' are ' agrees with ' people ', not ' number '.
  • Here is another sentence: The number of people who are present is much less than was hoped for.
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1 Answers
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You should try to find a correct course of action for the situation you are in right now.
This suggests that there is more than one correct course of action.
The attendance at an event is the number of people who are present
The clause, 'who are present' is restrictive, modifying 'people', which is plural-- the '
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