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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage

"Was" or "were" - I hear conflicting opinions

A sentence is discussing survey respondents. It reads:

A quarter was/were not sure.
Which is correct in this case?
  

Top answer

The inimitable "MASTER TROLL" (Email Removed) stated one day [nq:1]A sentence is discussing survey respondents. It reads: A quarter was/were not sure. [/nq] You'll have to check the APA Style Manual for an authoritative answer on this.

— Usenet

  • The inimitable "MASTER TROLL" (Email Removed) stated one day [nq:1]A sentence is discussing survey respondents.
  • It reads: A quarter was/were not sure.
  • [/nq] You'll have to check the APA Style Manual for an authoritative answer on this.
  • My feeling is that all references to fractions of the responding population should be consistent, and I would start out thinking of the fractions as a group of individuals, so I'd use the plural, as in: "one quarter of those responding were not sure".
  • If I were talking about a national population (a singular) that is split 50-50 on an issue, then I'd say something like "One half of the country is for it and the other half is against it", but given any other split, it'd have to be something like "Sixty percent were in favor and forty percent were opposed.
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4 Answers
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The inimitable "MASTER TROLL" (Email Removed) stated one day
[nq:1]A sentence is discussing survey respondents. It reads: A quarter was/were not sure. Which is correct in this case?[/nq]
You'll have to check the APA Style Manual for an authoritative answer on this. My feeling is that all references to fractions of the responding population should be consistent, and I would start out thinki
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[nq:1]A sentence is discussing survey respondents. It reads: A quarter was/were not sure. Which is correct in this case?[/nq]
"Were", of course. The uncertainty was not found in an abstract fraction, but in all the people it was measuring.
Matti
"Nurse, I'm afraid Joy is unconfined again."
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[nq:2]A sentence is discussing survey respondents. It reads: A quarter was/were not sure. Which is correct in this case?[/nq]
[nq:1]"Were", of course.[/nq]
Are you sure you wouldn't like an APA adjudication on that?

Or raspberry sauce?
;-)
Adrian
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[nq:2]"Were", of course.[/nq]
[nq:1]Are you sure you wouldn't like an APA adjudication on that? Or raspberry sauce? ;-)[/nq]
In the circumstances nothing less than a full-blown raspberry tart will meet the case.
Matti
"Nurse I'm afraid that Joy's unconfined again."
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