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Navitasan Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

There were a few...

Which are correct:
1-There were a few yards between them.
2-There was a few yards between them.

3-There were a few yards of distance between them.
4-There was a few yards of distance between them.

Gratefully,
Navi.
  

Top answer

Hi The word 'yard' tells us that it is distance in question so I would rule out 3 and 4, unless I wanted to make a special point about how distant they were Between 1 and 2, I wouldn't make a definite judgement. I think that either the singular or the plural is acceptable. Different regions and different people have slightly different views on this.

— Dave_anon

  • Hi The word 'yard' tells us that it is distance in question so I would rule out 3 and 4, unless I wanted to make a special point about how distant they were Between 1 and 2, I wouldn't make a definite judgement.
  • I think that either the singular or the plural is acceptable.
  • Different regions and different people have slightly different views on this.
  • I'd go for ...
  • - There were a few yards between them Dave
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2 Answers
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Hi

The word 'yard' tells us that it is distance in question so I would rule out 3 and 4, unless I wanted to make a special point about how distant they were

Between 1 and 2, I wouldn't make a definite judgement. I think that either the singular or the plural is acceptable. Different regions and different people have slightly different views on this. I'd go for ...

- T
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navitasanWhich are correct
Sentences 1 and 3 are certainly correct. Sentence 2 and 4 may be used by some speakers, but they are not so certainly correct. The addition of "of distance" changes nothing even though it may seem that putting a singular noun into the mix should make a difference. I think you're aiming for this:

There was a distance of
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