Search results for 'tag:Plural words tag:Verbs' matching tags 'Plural words' and 'Verbs'

Re: iTunes Movie Rentals launches today

Liveinjapan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:43:53 GMT

Thanks, Clive.

Yes, I know it's fine. My question is about the subject verb agreement.

I'm stuck with the plural word Rentals.

Re: Kindly help me out

Clive — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:59:02 GMT

Hi again,

Kindly answer my questions

1. The annual earnings have been pegged at $3.86 billion. In the above sentence we are speaking about a annual so should it be the annual earnings has been pegged.. No, earnings is treated as a plural word. But then The annual is singular and verb needs to agree with subject kindly correct me if I am wrong. 'Annual' is an adjective, and thus has no effect on the verb.

3. The country is witnessing a sea change in the lifestyle, mindsets, aspirations and attitudes of its people. Is this correct? Yes, but I'd prefer the plural 'lifestyles'.

5. Everything about Crompton Greaves is (a) world class. (aticle should come or it can be omitted) You need to omit it. The phrase is used adjectivally. Kindly put some light or give me references for understanding how and when phrase to be used adjectivally. Consider that you can reword your example as 'Compton Greaves is a world-class person' or 'Compton Greaves has world-class skills'. In other words, If you can use the phrase to qualify a noun, it has an adjectival use.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Kindly help me out

Creativeguru — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:55:23 GMT

Kindly answer my questions

3. The country is witnessing a sea change in the lifestye, mindsets, aspirations and attitudes of its people. Is this correct?

Re: Kindly help me out

Clive — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:53:01 GMT

Hi,

Following sentences I came across magazine kindly clear my doubts. Please note that it's better to say 'answer my questions' rather than 'clear my doubts'.

1. The annual earnings have be pegged at $3.86 billion. In the above sentence we are speaking about a annual so should it be the annual earnings has been pegged.. No, earnings is treated as a plural word.

2. Vir Sanghvi, reputed as one of the youngest editor(or editors) in the Indian media terrain. 'Editors', because you are saying 'he is one of a group'. This sentence is not correct. For example, it has no main verb.

3. The country is witnessing a sea change in the lifestye, mindset, aspirations and attitudes of its people. In the above sentences it aspirations..attitudes but then mindset and lifestyle are singular without 's' is any structural error or if I add 's' to all the words(i.e including lifestyle & mindset) then is it will be wrong please explain I'd make all these words plural, because you are speaking of so many people.

4. No one should suffer because he happened to be born in a certain race, class or economics condition. (is using economics conditions in the end will be wrong) It's OK, but say the singular 'economic condition'. If you are making a general statement that is true for past, present and future, it's better to say 'happens' rather than 'happened'.

5. Everything about Crompton Greaves is (a) world class. (aticle should come or it can be omitted) You need to omit it. The phrase is used adjectivally.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: There were a group of people

Philip — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:46:54 GMT

Kooyeen wrote:
Hi,
here's another thing that is driving me crazy:

There is/are a group.
There was/were a group.
There is/are a group of people
There was/were a group of people.
There is/are a group of people who are trying to block the road.
There was/were a group of people who were trying to block the road.
A group is/are approaching us.
A group was/were approaching us.

It seems that "group" is singular when alone, and is followed by a plural verb when used with a plural noun. Yeah, followed, but what should I use "before" a group? Is there a group of people, or are there?
This is confusing, considering that it's always "There were a couple of things", not "There was...", so maybe "a group" is a kind of exception.

Thank you in advance.

I'll let the staunch grammaraians battle this one out. To my ear, the singular is better (a group) except when you add the plural word "people" for the following phrase.

Re: Are or is?

Buddhaheart — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 06:46:08 GMT

According to Answers.com, although "none" is etymologically derived from OE "one", it has been used as both a singular and a plural word from that time on as evident in the Bible, works of J. Dryden & E. Burke and many present day well known authors. Today "None" is considered to be shortened form of "not one; no one & not any" as any lexicons will tell you.

Depending on the context, it can take a singular or plural verb. This seems to be the view of most people. I wonât go too far to say thereâs only one correct form, i.e. the singular!

Examine the example "There is none left." If the context is I need another red pencil but not one is available, the singular verb makes sense. In "None of us are grammarians", the plural verb makes sense as "none of us" here means "not any of us". The plural sense (all of us) is implied. In Anonymous question, the plural form "are" is acceptable (IMO).

The indefinite pronoun is actually used as a plural subject more often than not. To the purist & strict theorist, this sounds odd and unsettling. Well, the English language, like any other isnâât really an exact science.

To add confusion, hereâre some more lexicon & grammar text examples:

"None have (has) arrived yet.ââ
"There is none of it left."
"None of the apples are rotten."

"None of my children has/have blonde hair."

"None of his poems are well known."

""None but fools have ever believed it."

Re: help me with simple grammar check .thanks

Clive — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 04:42:52 GMT

Hi Vincent,

'Parts' is a plural word so you need to say 'need' as the verb form.

'Do you have any cubicle furniture that has parts that need to be repaired?'

Your sentence is also not in good style. Why don't you just say

'Do you have any cubicle furniture that needs to be repaired?'

Best wishes,

Clive

Re: Neither

CalifJim — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 05:33:54 GMT

The prescriptive rule has it that 'neither' and 'either' take the singular verb, so "Neither has windows" ('neither' is the subject) and "Either one of them has it" ('one' is the subject).

In everyday conversation, however, it is quite common to hear the plural verb with 'neither' if a plural word ends the entire noun phrase which forms the subject.

Neither is very good.
Neither of the boys are very well behaved. (More properly, "is")

Either is acceptable.
Either of the two is fine. (More rarely "are".)

CJ