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Johnson13 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
the way(s) is/are different
First of all, I believe there must have been some members who have asked a similar question, but because of the nature of the phrase, I can't by the searching engine find a thread that helps me.
A sentence: The way they learn English is different.
Is it idiomatic? I doubt it, because though we can say
Their behaviour is different.,
WAY is countable, and logically for two persons there should be more than one way, so WAYS seems called for and IS should accordingly change to ARE, but is it a must?
A sentence: The way they learn English is different.
Is it idiomatic? I doubt it, because though we can say
Their behaviour is different.,
WAY is countable, and logically for two persons there should be more than one way, so WAYS seems called for and IS should accordingly change to ARE, but is it a must?
Top answer
Hi I am wondering why 'way' can't be seen as a style or method and it is possible for more than one to follow the same method.
- Hi I am wondering why 'way' can't be seen as a style or method and it is possible for more than one to follow the same method.
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7 Answers
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Hi
I am wondering why 'way' can't be seen as a style or method and it is possible for more than one to follow the same method.
I am wondering why 'way' can't be seen as a style or method and it is possible for more than one to follow the same method.
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"The way they learn English is different." That is fine if you mean that one set of people (they) has a different way of learning English from a previously named set.
If you are comparing two sets of people and their ways, it's "The ways they learn English are different", but that is not as clear as it could be. It could be that each has only one way, but we're stuck with the plural all t
If you are comparing two sets of people and their ways, it's "The ways they learn English are different", but that is not as clear as it could be. It could be that each has only one way, but we're stuck with the plural all t
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enoon"The way they learn English is different." That is fine if you mean that one set of people (they) has a different way of learning English from a previously named set.If you are comparing two sets of people and their ways, it's "The ways they learn English are different", but that is not as clear as it could be. It could be that each has only one way, but we're stuck
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You have found a *** in English's armor. It doesn't handle these things well. I think you can say, "The way they learn English is different" in that case, but it is a bit illogical, and I would recast in formal writing to eliminate ambiguity and inconsistency of number, maybe "Each has his own way of learning English."
P.S. - Grr. The nannybot starred out c*h*i*n*k.
P.S. - Grr. The nannybot starred out c*h*i*n*k.
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Thanks.
But do you think
Their behaviour is different.
is ungrammatical or bad style?
But do you think
Their behaviour is different.
is ungrammatical or bad style?
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Johnson13Thanks.But do you thinkTheir behaviour is different.is ungrammatical or bad style?It is not clear.
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