Search results for 'tag:Plurals tag:American English' matching tags 'Plurals' and 'American English'

Re: sport

Yoong Liat — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:25:58 GMT

Hi LiJ

This topic has been discussed before and I hope you will find the following helpful.

In British English 'sport' is the general term and is an uncountable noun.

For example: (1) He is not interested in sport. (2) There is too much sport on television. (3) She excels at sport.

If it refers to particular types of sport, the term 'sport/s' (a countable noun) is used.

For example: (1) Bobby's sport is tennis. (2) My favourite sports are tennis and hockey.

In American English, 'sports' is a plural noun.

For example: He likes watching sports on television.

Re: Corpora: Native discovery

Kooyeen — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:08:32 GMT

I agree with Jim. Native speakers decide what is correct. Of course, there are so many "kinds" of native speakers that you can't know everything about everyone's English usage... and not even about your own dialect, sometimes.

Teacher: No, "my hair are black" is not ok. You have to use the singular, "my hair is black"
Student: But I found out the plural is ok in some parts of England...
Teacher: Well, I don't know... it's so odd. Maybe that's true, but where I come from, Los Angeles, it's not used at all, I believe.
Student: But if it's used in England it means it's not wrong.
Teacher: Maybe not in that dialect... but that's not standard English...
Student: What do you mean by standard English?
Teacher: The kind of English you are most likely to hear on TV, or hear people use... where I come from. Or the one I use myself.
Student: What makes you think the English you use is the standard one, and some dialects in England are not?
Teacher: I don't know... maybe because it's the only kind of English I know, and the only one it makes sense for me to teach?
Student: But then you are forgetting lots of common features, and calling then non-standard...Look at these results you can get from this corpus... 2,780 results for "hair are black"... and 5,990 for "hair is black"...
Teacher: Those results seem a little off to me... I mean, who collected that information, how, and and where?
Student: It's a linguist...
Teacher: Ok, but those results don't reflect the actual usage I've always heard in Los Angeles... and on TV, or in American English in General, for that matter.
Student: But you can't discard those authoritative results just because...
Teacher: I don't give a damn about your results! I teach the variety I know, not every dialect in the world, checking corpora here and there! If you want me as your teacher, you are gonna be learning my variety and have me as a model for your English, otherwise... go find another teacher, you standard idiot! My dialect will be the standard English you'll learn, Is this clear enough?
Student: Clear? Hmm. What do you mean by stand...
*POW* *SLAP* *CRACK* *BAM*
Student: Ouch!

Re: Football / Ice hockey results and scores: How to write and talk

optilang — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:13:17 GMT

That is interesting indeed and I agree with you Old Man Gordon. I am from Finland and according to my Finnish-English dictionary I should say "Finland is leading 2-0" without using the plural verb and
"The Finns are leading 2-0" when using a plural expression. But I guess this is just a difference between British and American English.

I guess so. I am not from America or Finland.

Re: Football / Ice hockey results and scores: How to write and talk

EagerSeeker — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:04:46 GMT

Old Man Gordon

Optilang-

Is that how it is said on sportscasts in England? The team uses a plural verb, even if the noun (England/Manchester United/etc.) is singular? In the US, we'd use the plural only when talking about the team name which is usually plural, eg The Yakees are losing./ New York is losing.

It gets confusing with the modern innovation of uncountable team names. The Detroit Shock is winning (are winning?).

Re: Has/have

Kooyeen — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:24:19 GMT

Hi,
"have" is the "prescriptively correct" one, because it actually and grammatically refers to "languages".
Now, the fact is that a lot of native speakers use the singular in those kinds of structures, because they make the verb agree with what comes before "one of".

The advice is: use the plural when you feel you will be judged on strict grammar rules (= ESL Tests), otherwise use either one, depending on what you have in mind, what you are thinking of.

Venusian is one of the languages that don't have the subjunctive. --> You are thinking of the languages that don't have the subjunctive, and Venusian is one of them.
Venusian is one of the languages that doesn't have the subjunctive. --> You are thinking that Venusian doesn't have the subjunctive, along with other languages.

Oops, that's true for American English... I don't know if you are interested in BrE.

Re: Can 'a list' be represented by plural pronoun?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:14:37 GMT

North American English is very strict on this. If the subject is singular (as is list), then the verb must be singular.

An American therefore must say England IS winning and the crew (or team) IS on board.

mr steve

Re: A group of students - number confusion

Kooyeen — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:59:24 GMT

I would have used the plural for both verbs. I was told people say "A group of children are playing", not "is playing".
I think "group" is a collective noun, and in American English it's singular: "The team is ready". In British English you might hear "The team are ready", but not in AmE.
But when collective nouns are modified by plural nouns, then everything tends to agree with the plural nouns.

So this thread really confused me... what do you guys think?

Re: which/that

Kooyeen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:28:57 GMT

Thanks Jim, I understand, even though it seems kind of complicated to me.
Also because I noticed this strange thing:

CalifJim wrote:

The discussion above covers most of this. which is more often used than who in AmE, and what the team, audience, etc. is/are actually doing may influence the choice, but rewording to avoid the problem is not a bad idea either, where possible.

The team/staff/committee, who were requested to walk into the auditorium one by one, were proud of the awards they received.

You used plural verbs with collective nouns... How come? I thought in American English there were only used with singular verbs. I remember reading in another forum that Americans would never (or "very rarely") say that a class are doing something. The class is waiting for the teacher, the class in playing, the team is not ready, etc.

As a rule of thumb, I would use "which" + singular verb to refer to collective nouns in non-restricitve clauses, and I would only use "who" + plural verb when I also mention the members.
- The audience, which didn't look much interested,...
- The team of engineers, who are waiting for our instructions,...

What do you think?
Thanks

Re: In the garden is/are a cat, a dog, and a rabit.

Yoong Liat — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:43:27 GMT

Hi Teo

I hope the following will be helpful.

In BrE, it should be There is a cat and a dog.

Below is the information extracted from two books on English usage. The first book is on British English usage, the second on American English usage.

'The Right Word at the Right Time' states as follows:

There is an apple and pears for dessert.

There are apples and a pear for dessert.

'Merriam-Webster 'Guide to English Usage' states as follows:

When a compound subject follows the verb and the first element is singular, the verb may be either singular or plural.

There is a lake and several small streams.

There are a dog and a few cats in the house.

The singular construction is more common. Still, some writers insist on formal agreement and use a plural verb: There were an apartment house and a parking lot at the end of the block.

Best regards

Re: wish clauses

Goodman — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:52:34 GMT

Yoong Liat wrote:
Hi Goodman

You wrote: I have been labeled and called by many descriptions, hinted being âIgnorantâ is the first ...

I'm not hinting that you're ignorant. I say that if a learner tells me "informal" means "wrong", I'll understand that he says so because he is ignorant. But you are not a learner. You're one of the members who have a good command of English. So that's why I say it's not correct for you to say that a usage, which is classified as "informal", is wrong.

I've reproduced below what Michael Swan has to say about "I wish I was ... " and "I wish it wasn't ..." and let the members decide whether you're right to say "I wish it was not raining" or "I wish it wasn't raining" is a wrong usage.

We can use 'wish' to express regrets - to say that we would like things to be different. We use a past tense with a present meaning in this case.
I wish I was better-looking.
I wish it wasn't raining.

In a formal style, we can use 'were' instead of 'was' after 'I wish'.
I wish I were better-looking.

(Basic English Usage by Michael Swan)

Best wishes.

Liat,

With our differences in point of view, I appreciate your reply. For all intents and an purposes, I am still a learner on a different level but I perhaps have the advantage being in a completely English environment and therefore, I may appear to have better command. That said, I do feel there is a certain slight inconsistency among all the different English websites, particularly on the subjunctive. There should not be any argument that âIf I wereâ or âI wish I wereâ is a subjunctive mood. The difference of the agruement really lies in the defining of the rules and the mood expressed in the senstence. The early website quoted âI wish I wasâ as informal.

In reality, after reading this article, that is indeed incorrect. The bottom line, " I wish I was" is against the subjunctive ruels. Take a look at the explanation on this website then you may come to agree with what I said in my earlier threads.

Confusingly enough, in the "self test", some of of the answers are considered "acceptable" or "informal" by some. I should hope that this piece will settle all questions about indicative and subjunctive moods.

Subjunctive Mood

However, if a form of the verb to be were used in that sentence, all polished writers would agree that the subjunctive is necessary: "If he were [not was] ...
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	Writing Tip: July 30, 2001 The Subjunctive Mood Examine the verbs in each of the following sentences: 1. If Harrison were chosen to be the next chief executive officer of the corporation, several controversial hiring practices would change. 2. If I were you, I would increase my weekly contribution to the company-sponsored retirement fund. 3. I wish that his report were longer. 4. We recommend that the trip be postponed because of violence in the region. 5. The finance department requests that he submit updated budget projections each month. All the above sentences are correct. Two terms apply to the mood of English verbs: indicative and subjunctive. An indicative verb makes a statement that is factual, whereas a verb in the subjunctive mood is used to indicate a situation or condition that is hypothetical, doubtful, or conditional. In the indicative mood, we would never write "Harrison were," "I were," "report were," "trip be," or "he submit," but these verbs are correct in the examples above because each of the sentences is written in the subjunctive mood; that is, in every case, the sentence is describing a situation that is hypothetical or conditional: 1. Harrison is not now the C.E.O., but hypothetically he could be chosen for that position. The conditional nature of the position is suggested by the word if. 2. Again, as the word if makes clear, I am not, in fact, you. So once again the situation is hypothetical and conditional: I would save more only under the condition that I became you. 3. His report is not, in fact, longer, so the sentence speaks of a hypothetical situation. 4. The trip is not currently postponed, so the subjunctive mood is appropriate to suggest a possibility, not an actuality. 5. He is not currently submitting reports monthly, so we use the subjunctive mood to discuss the possibility--not the actuality--of his doing so. For all verbs except to be, the present subjunctive mood is most often made by omitting the characteristic s ending on verbs with third-person singular subjects. Thus, whereas in the indicative mood we would write "man leaves," in the subjunctive mood we would omit the s on the verb leave: "The judge insisted that the man not leave town." For the verb to be, we simply use be for all present tense subjunctive mood verbs and were for all past tense forms, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (New York: MJF Books, 1993) points out that while many subjunctive-mood phrases are commonly used in ordinary speech--"if I were you," "if need be," "far be it from me," and so on--strict use of the subjunctive mood is rare, even in the most formal speaking and writing situations (243). Very few people would write, for example, "If he arrive on time, we will have dinner before the show." However, if a form of the verb to be were used in that sentence, all polished writers would agree that the subjunctive is necessary: "If he were [not was] to arrive on time, we could have dinner before the show." The Harbrace College Handbook (13th edition) lists other common, fixed expressions that are stated in the subjunctive mood: "so be it," "be that as it may," "as it were," and "God bless you" (99-100). TEST YOURSELF Which of the following sentences need verbs in the subjunctive mood? 1. If I was Sam, I would hire an assistant now before the hiring freeze takes effect. 2. The committee suggested that Dr. Jones is chosen as the next chief of staff. 3. As August approaches, every school child wishes that his or her vacation was longer. 4. It is critical that every potential donor gives blood during this shortage. ANSWERS 1. If I WERE Sam, I would hire an assistant now before the hiring freeze takes effect. 2. The committee suggested that Dr. Jones BE chosen as the next chief of staff. 3. As August approaches, every school child wishes that his or her vacation WERE longer. This is almost the exact sentence identified as correct in your past post. 4. It is critical that every potential donor GIVE blood during this shortage. Copyright 2001 Get It Write More Tips \| Tell a Friend *Special Request:* Please share these tips with friends and colleagues and encourage them to subscribe. (If you post the tips to an internal distribution list of any size, please tell us the nature of the list and the number of subscribers. We would like to know how many people we are reaching with this service. We appreciate your positive feedback and excellent comments!)



GIW Home		writeDate(); Mon Oct. 8, 2007 \| Tell a Friend \| Subscribe \| Order Our Book
		Resources: Writing Tips \| More Tips
	Writing Tip: July 30, 2001 The Subjunctive Mood Examine the verbs in each of the following sentences: 1. If Harrison were chosen to be the next chief executive officer of the corporation, several controversial hiring practices would change. 2. If I were you, I would increase my weekly contribution to the company-sponsored retirement fund. 3. I wish that his report were longer. 4. We recommend that the trip be postponed because of violence in the region. 5. The finance department requests that he submit updated budget projections each month. All the above sentences are correct. Two terms apply to the mood of English verbs: indicative and subjunctive. An indicative verb makes a statement that is factual, whereas a verb in the subjunctive mood is used to indicate a situation or condition that is hypothetical, doubtful, or conditional. In the indicative mood, we would never write "Harrison were," "I were," "report were," "trip be," or "he submit," but these verbs are correct in the examples above because each of the sentences is written in the subjunctive mood; that is, in every case, the sentence is describing a situation that is hypothetical or conditional: 1. Harrison is not now the C.E.O., but hypothetically he could be chosen for that position. The conditional nature of the position is suggested by the word if. 2. Again, as the word if makes clear, I am not, in fact, you. So once again the situation is hypothetical and conditional: I would save more only under the condition that I became you. 3. His report is not, in fact, longer, so the sentence speaks of a hypothetical situation. 4. The trip is not currently postponed, so the subjunctive mood is appropriate to suggest a possibility, not an actuality. 5. He is not currently submitting reports monthly, so we use the subjunctive mood to discuss the possibility--not the actuality--of his doing so. For all verbs except to be, the present subjunctive mood is most often made by omitting the characteristic s ending on verbs with third-person singular subjects. Thus, whereas in the indicative mood we would write "man leaves," in the subjunctive mood we would omit the s on the verb leave: "The judge insisted that the man not leave town." For the verb to be, we simply use be for all present tense subjunctive mood verbs and were for all past tense forms, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (New York: MJF Books, 1993) points out that while many subjunctive-mood phrases are commonly used in ordinary speech--"if I were you," "if need be," "far be it from me," and so on--strict use of the subjunctive mood is rare, even in the most formal speaking and writing situations (243). Very few people would write, for example, "If he arrive on time, we will have dinner before the show." However, if a form of the verb to be were used in that sentence, all polished writers would agree that the subjunctive is necessary: "If he were [not was] to arrive on time, we could have dinner before the show." The Harbrace College Handbook (13th edition) lists other common, fixed expressions that are stated in the subjunctive mood: "so be it," "be that as it may," "as it were," and "God bless you" (99-100). TEST YOURSELF Which of the following sentences need verbs in the subjunctive mood? 1. If I was Sam, I would hire an assistant now before the hiring freeze takes effect. 2. The committee suggested that Dr. Jones is chosen as the next chief of staff. 3. As August approaches, every school child wishes that his or her vacation was longer. 4. It is critical that every potential donor gives blood during this shortage. ANSWERS 1. If I WERE Sam, I would hire an assistant now before the hiring freeze takes effect. 2. The committee suggested that Dr. Jones BE chosen as the next chief of staff. 3. As August approaches, every school child wishes that his or her vacation WERE longer. This is almost the exact sentence identified as correct in your past post. 4. It is critical that every potential donor GIVE blood during this shortage. Copyright 2001 Get It Write More Tips \| Tell a Friend *Special Request:* Please share these tips with friends and colleagues and encourage them to subscribe. (If you post the tips to an internal distribution list of any size, please tell us the nature of the list and the number of subscribers. We would like to know how many people we are reaching with this service. We appreciate your positive feedback and excellent comments!)