Two years is a long time

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Pter

#507666 Wed, 30 Apr 08 01:16 PM

I instinctively used "is" for this sentence, but then I realized that I don't know which grammar rule says so. It doesn't look like grammatical concord. Is it a kind of notional concord?

Also, which one is correct?

Four men are too many.

Four men is too many.

Pter

Joined on Wed, Nov 28 2007

Hong Kong

Full Member (416)

Grammar

Marius Hancu

#507668 Wed, 30 Apr 08 01:18 PM

You're talking about a grouping of years, a period, thus "is."

Both is/are for the 2nd, depending on whether you're talking about them as a group or not.

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,644)

Pter

#507940 Thu, 01 May 08 02:31 AM

Thanks, Marius. Yes, I know it's because we are talking about a period. What I wanted to know is whether there is a name for this. Can we call "two years" a collective noun? It doesn't look like a collective noun because collective nouns do not have singular/plural forms, e.g. the audience, the cabinet.

For the second one, the meaning of the sentence is pretty clear. I don't need four men, maybe just three. I inclined to say, "four men is too many", but I'm not too sure.

Pter

Plurals, Nouns

Yoong Liat

#507944 Thu, 01 May 08 02:43 AM

Hi Pter

Audience and cabinet are countable nouns.

Yoong Liat

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Singapore

Veteran Member (5,610)

Yoong Liat

Nouns, Countable nouns

Pter

#507957 Thu, 01 May 08 03:18 AM

I believe they are countable nouns only if we are talking about multiple audiences or cabinets, otherwise, they are called collective nouns that can be either plural or singluar depending on the context. No?

My question is I have never seen anybody calling "two years" or "four men" collective nouns.

Pter

Plurals, Nouns, Countable nouns

Grammar Geek

#507962 Thu, 01 May 08 03:33 AM

The period of two years is long enough, or too long. You use the singular to refer to a "chunk" of something, whether it's time, distance, etc.

A group that consists of four men is more than enough manpower.

The parts in italics are understood to be what is really the unstated subject.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (14,803)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Yoong Liat

#508014 Thu, 01 May 08 06:19 AM

Pter
I believe they are countable nouns only if we are talking about multiple audiences or cabinets, otherwise, they are called collective nouns that can be either plural or singluar depending on the context. No?