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This question is Not Answered
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jack112
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227980
Tue, 23 May 06 06:26 AM
1. Since two different protocols, and possibly two different servers, are used to send and receive mail, it is possible that mail clients can perform one task and not the other. (Is the subject for 'are' 'protocols' only? It is because we have commas in there?)
Thanks.
Joined on
Thu, Jul 22 2004
Regular Member
715
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Clive
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228098
Tue, 23 May 06 01:54 PM
Hi Jack,
1. Since two different protocols, and possibly two different servers, are used to send and receive mail, it is possible that mail clients can perform one task and not the other. (Is the subject for 'are' 'protocols' only? It is because we have commas in there?)
Let's change the example to one with singular words. Since Tom, and possibly Mary, are going to be late, we will start the meeting without them. It seems to me that the subject is plural. 'Is' would not work.
Thus, the subject in the original sentence includes both the protocols and the servers.
Best wishes, Clive
Joined on
Thu, Oct 28 2004
Canada
Veteran Member
29,581
El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo
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Mister Micawber
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228099
Tue, 23 May 06 01:59 PM
The are grammatically agrees with protocols. I believe that the Columbia Guide to Standard AmE addresses this problem as a problem of the 'near-compound' subject, because (to me) the commas, creating 'non-restrictive' content, are quite similar to m-dashes in their intent: 'In compound like constructions with with, together with, and the like, and those in which the second element is set off with dashes or parentheses ( The husband, with his wife and baby, comes in every morning; Fred—and Mary when she has time—jogs every morning), usually, if the first element of a near-compound subject is singular, the verb will be singular, and if plural, the verb will be plural, as in The parents—and their large dog—are waiting for the school bus.
But because of the so-called principle of proximity, no matter how
singular the first element, enough intervening plural material will
cause the verb to be plural too, unless the sentence is carefully
edited. Hence most problematic instances occur at the Conversational
levels of speech and Informal writing, not at Oratorical levels or in
Edited English.'
Joined on
Wed, Aug 4 2004
Yokohama
Veteran Member
30,760
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'
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Mister Micawber
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228100
Tue, 23 May 06 02:00 PM
Oops. Shall we agree to disagree?
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jack112
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230059
Mon, 29 May 06 05:52 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE><table width="85%"><tr><td class="txt4"><img src="/Themes/default/images/icon-quote.gif"> <strong>Mister Micawber wrote:</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="quoteTable"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" class="txt4"><br>The <b><i>are</i></b> grammatically agrees with <i>protocols</i>. I believe that the <i>Columbia Guide to Standard AmE</i> addresses this problem as a problem of the 'near-compound' subject, because (to me) the commas, creating 'non-restrictive' content, are quite similar to m-dashes in their intent:<br><br>'In compound like constructions with <i>with, together with,</i> and the like, and those in which the second element is set off with dashes or parentheses (<i>The husband, with his wife and baby, comes in every morning; Fred—and Mary when she has time—jogs every morning</i>), usually, <u>if the first element of a near-<i>compound subject</i> is singular, the verb will be singular, and if plural, the verb will be plural</u>, as in <i><b>The parents—and their large dog—are waiting for the school bus</b>.</i>
But because of the so-called principle of proximity, no matter how
singular the first element, <u>enough intervening plural material will
cause the verb to be plural too</u>, unless the sentence is carefully
edited. Hence most problematic instances occur at the Conversational
levels of speech and Informal writing, not at Oratorical levels or in
Edited English.'<br><br></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>
May I ask where you got that info from? I would like to use that as a reference for future references.
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