in hopes that?

Angliholic:

Junel put an extra plate on the dining table in hopes that Greg would make it home in time for dinner.

Hi,

Why does the above use the pluarl "hopes" instead of the singular "hope?" Thanks.

Veteran Member7,145

Mister Micawber:

.
Just idiomatic, I think, Angli. If you like, you can replace the phrase with in the hope that.

Veteran Member76,922

alex19860616:

there is no exact explanations in the grammar to use the singular or the plural. in this sentence the best choice is to use the phrase , in the hope of.

New Member05

1 comment

Yoong Liat:

alex19860616there is no exact explanations in the grammar to use the singular or the plural. in this sentence the best choice is to use the phrase , in the hope of.

Junel put an extra plate on the dining table in hopes that Greg would make it home in time for dinner.

Junel put an extra plate on the dining table in the hope of Greg would make it home in time for dinner. ( Is the sentence grammatically correct? )

Veteran Member7,512

Anonymous:

As mentioned earlier, this grammar question is all a matter of idiomatic expression. Strictly speaking, none of the options mentioned make any real sense if you think very much about them. A better option altogether is to change the entire phrase:

Junel put an extra plate on the dining table, hoping that Greg would make it home in time for dinner.

Anonymous:

nope, it would have to become a noun phrase:
Junel put an extra plate on the dining table in the hope of Greg's making it home in time for dinner

Anonymous:

I think it's a regional expression. In the South-East of England we would say "in the hope that". I've never head "in hopes that".

Anonymous:

No, that isn't grammatically correct. It should be "in the hope that" not "of". You could say "in the hope of Greg's timely arrival" but that sounds very contrived.

in hopes that?

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