Search results for 'tag:Numbers tag:Singular verbs' matching tags 'Numbers' and 'Singular verbs'

Re: majority is or are??

Goodman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:06:41 GMT

I'll say it depends. It may have to do with what context it's used but by and large, I see it as more frequently used in singular context.

The American Heritage^Â® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

majority

SYLLABICATION:	maÂ·jorÂ·iÂ·ty
PRONUNCIATION:	m-jÃ´r-t, -jr-
NOUN:	Inflected forms: pl. maÂ·jorÂ·iÂ·ties 1. The greater number or part; a number more than half of the total. 2. The amount by which the greater number of votes cast, as in an election, exceeds the total number of remaining votes. 3. The political party, group, or faction having the most power by virtue of its larger representation or electoral strength. 4. Law The status of having reached full legal age, with attendant rights and responsibilities. 5. The military rank, commission, or office of a major. 6. Obsolete The fact or state of being greater; superiority.
ETYMOLOGY:	French majoritÃ©, from Medieval Latin mirits, from Latin mior, greater. See meg- in Appendix I.
USAGE NOTE:	When majority refers to a particular number of votes, it takes a singular verb: Her majority was five votes. His majority has been growing by 5 percent every year. When it refers to a group of persons or things that are in the majority, it may take either a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is considered as a whole or as a set of people considered individually. So we say The majority elects (not elect) the candidate it wants (not they want), since the election is accomplished by the group as a whole; but The majority of the voters live (not lives) in the city, since living in the city is something that each voter does individually. â¢Majority is often preceded by great (but not by greater) in expressing emphatically the sense of âmost ofâ: The great majority approved. The phrase greater majority is appropriate only when considering two majorities: He won by a greater majority in this election than in the last.

Re: global warning

Avangi — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:29:09 GMT

As Yoong Liat says.

My point was that after all those plurals, the ear likes to hear a plural verb. Being so far away from "number," the ear forgets that a singular verb is being asked for. "Disasters" is plural, so the problem disappears.

But I fear there'll be objections to the sentence in this form, since one may ask, "What does it mean for a disaster to rise?" Technically, it's the number that rises.

If you say "Smallpox is on the rise again," you probably mean the number of cases, but you could also mean "the threat of smalpox" is on the rise.

- A.

Re: a plurality of +V.

Mister Micawber — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:06:18 GMT

.
It seems an awkward word choice here, and I would avoid it except for its more standard uses (as in vote counting). However, I suppose that where it means 'a number of' it would take a plural verb, and where it means 'the number of', it would take a singular verb.

Re: was or were

Grammar Geek — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:06:07 GMT

http://www.bartleby.com/68/47/4047.html: Neither is paired with nor as either is with or, and in those uses as conjunctions they pose usage problems of agreement. Usually they will take a singular verb if both parts of the structure are singular, as in Neither he nor his friend is ready, and if the first element is plural but the second element remains singular, the structure may still take a singular verb, as in Neither my friends nor my father is ready, although a plural is also possible. But if the second element is plural, the verb will almost always be plural: Neither my father nor his friends are ready. Agreement between neither/nor and the verb is frequently a matter of notional agreement: hence Standard English in all but its most Formal and Oratorical situations will usually accept either number of the verb.

So "mqnager" come second, it's closer to the verb, and therefore the verb is singular -- "although a plural is also possible" says barlteby.

Re: Subject-Verb Agreement: Have been vs. has been

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:43:26 GMT

Marius Hancu wrote:
Seven years -> have

but you'll see both.

However:

It's going to be the best Christmas ever because this year I have done everything myself and the horrible atmosphere of the last seven years has lifted.

I agree with Marius. In English the grammatical number of the subject is often of no significance. When the idea of a whole or a period of time is more important, a singular verb or even an indefinite article with a plural is often used:

Ten dollars is not enough.
He spent a happy five days in Phuket.

CB

Re: There is/are a infinity

MrPedantic — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:54:08 GMT

PS:

It occurs to me that "a number of" + singular verb doesn't sound "odd" if "number" is qualified, e.g.

1. There is only a very small number of tickets available.

2. There is a limited number of possible outcomes.

MrP

Re: There is/are a infinity

MrPedantic — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:24:10 GMT

Hello HT,

Hoa Thai wrote:

My old note stated: 'a number of ' is plural and 'the number of' is singular.
We can apply this logic of yours to 'a number of ' too, right?

1. ?There is a number of reasons why my post may be misleading.

2. There are a number of reasons why my post may be misleading.

Though I do often encounter "a number of" + singular verb, it tends to ring a little oddly to me.

I think the difference between "there is a number of" and "there is an infinity of" may be that in that latter case, it sometimes makes sense to shift the focus to "infinity"; whereas in the former case, it seldom makes sense to shift the focus to "number". (In other words, it may be significant that there is an "infinity" of X; but that there is a "number" of Y goes without saying.)

That said, many people do use a singular verb with "a number of", on the grounds that a singular noun requires a singular verb!

All the best,

MrP

Re: I need your help,please.

Avangi — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:49:34 GMT

Hi, sorry I missed this: In number one it should be "No one KNOWS", using singular verb form with singular noun.

In number thirteen, there's nothing wrong with "over all the world", but people usually say, "all over the world."

- A.

Re: I need your help,please.

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:44:10 GMT

Hi, sorry I missed this.

In number one, it should be "no one KNOWS", using the singular verb form with the singular noun. I saw it but forgot to write it down. (If I used the colors like I'm supposed to I wouldn't have missed it.) Hope it didn't cause you any problems.

Re: Right construction

Yoong Liat — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:20:57 GMT

Hamza wrote:
Which is the correct construction?

A number of people like ice-cream.

A number of people likes ice-cream.

I was confused because if we are talking about number than it should be likes.. Right???

Use a plural verb after "A number of ... "

Use a singular verb after "The number of ... "