word choice

Question

Should it be 'has' or 'have' in the following sentence?Fad diets, diet pills and extreme calorie restriction 'has or have' never worked for anyone.

Deadrat · Accepted Answer

Three things (diets, pills, restriction) are plural:  use "have."

Anonymous · Answer

deadratThree things (diets, pills, restriction) are plural: use "have."

Thank you very much again!

I would like you to enlighten me on the question please?

I think the article 'a' is needed in this sentence: you need to develop 'a' smarter diet. Right?

But why is it not needed here: you need to develop smarter diet, exercise, and other habits.

Would that be because 'develop' is followed by several items, so an article is not required before 'smarter diet' nor 'exercise'?

Deadrat · Answer

AnonymousI think the article 'a' is needed in this sentence: you need to develop 'a' smarter diet. Right?

Right.

AnonymousBut why is it not needed here: you need to develop smarter diet, exercise, and other habits.

Parallelism. Without the article, "diet" must be a noun used as an adjective, making the sentence mean "You need to develop smarter diet habits, smarter exercise habits, and other habits." If you place the article in front of "diet," your list is now "develop a smarter diet," "exercise," and "habits." Pick the one that doesn't belong: "habits." That is, you've got three verbs and a noun. It's fixable: "You need to develop smarter diet habits, exercise, and practice other habits." Three verbs.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks a lot.

deadratParallelism. Without the article, "diet" must be a noun used as an adjective, making the sentence mean "You need to develop smarter diet habits, smarter exercise habits, and other habits.

So parallelism basically meaning that diet and exercise relate to habits and that is why the article can be excluded, which is the reason I said that there are 3 items and thus it can be excluded? Is that the reason?

deadratIf you place the article in front of "diet," your list is now "develop a smarter diet," "exercise," and "habits."

Are you saying that the article can also be used but it alters the construction of the sentence slightly? If so, isn't an article also needed before 'exercise'?

deadratPick the one that doesn't belong: "habits.

Do you mean not to relate them all to habits as in the original sentence I wrote?

deadratThat is, you've got three verbs and a noun. It's fixable: "You need to develop smarter diet habits, exercise, and practice other habits." Three verbs

What is the noun and the three verbs? Are the verbs 'diet', 'exercise', and 'other habits'?

Deadrat · Answer

Parallelism means that compounds must be of the same syntactic form. "I like running, jumping, and to skip" is not parallel because the compound object mixes gerunds with an infinitive.

If you use the article in front of "diet," then "diet" is strictly a noun because only nouns take articles. In that case, "diet" can't be used as an adjective, as in "diet habits," meaning habits of eating. This sets the construction of the sentence.

"Exercise" can take an article: "I do an exercise to strengthen my knee." This means a particular physical movement, but this can't be made sensible in the context of habits, so you can't use the article, making the interpretation of "exercise" a verb. This makes "exercise" parallel with "develop." As I noted, this route crashes into "other habits," which is not a verb.

Without the article, the three nouns are "diet [habits]," "exercise [habits]," and "other habits."

With the article, the three verbs are "develop a smarter diet," "exercise," and "practice." Or whatever verb you want that takes "other habits" as an object.

Anonymous · Answer

deadratParallelism means that compounds must be of the same syntactic form. "I like running, jumping, and to skip" is not parallel because the compound object mixes gerunds with an infinitive.

I see.

deadratAs I noted, this route crashes into "other habits," which is not a verb.

Yes, it crashes into other habits, but they don't flaw separately.

deadratWithout the article, the three nouns are "diet [habits]," "exercise [habits]," and "other habits."

I think if habits is included for each one it makes sense, but without it, I don'y see the connection.

deadratWith the article, the three verbs are "develop a smarter diet," "exercise," and "practice." Or whatever verb you want that takes "other habits" as an obje

I don't se how develop goes with the bare 'exercise'!

I think something like this would make better sense: you need to develop a smarter diet, an exercise regime, and other lifestyle habits.

I think this sentence is much clearer, don't you agree?

Deadrat · Answer

AnonymousI think something like this would make better sense: you need to develop a smarter diet, an exercise regime, and other lifestyle habits.

Now you've got three nouns as a compound object "develop." Yes, I think it's a much clearer version.

Anonymous · Answer

deadratNow you've got three nouns as a compound object "develop." Yes, I think it's a much clearer version.

Got it. Do you mean by the compound object 'develop" that all three nouns go back or collocate to 'develop'?

Deadrat · Answer

I mean that all three are objects of the infinitive "to develop," as though you had written, "to develop a smarter diet, to develop exercise regime, and to develop lifestyle habits."

Anonymous · Answer

deadrat mean that all three are objects of the infinitive "to develop," as though you had written, "to develop a smarter diet, to develop exercise regime, and to develop lifestyle habits."

I got it, thanks a lot.

Also, are these the sentences you edited and said that they would also be correct:

1) You need to“develop smarter diet habits”, “exercise”, and “practice other lifestyle habits”.
2) You need to "develop a smarter diet", "exercise", and "practice other lifestyle habits”.

And the word to works with all three objects, which will make the sentence correct?

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