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

Re: has to be, have to be

CalifJim — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:13:31 GMT

The language seems to be undergoing a change in the agreement rules for there constructions.

In casual speech the singular verb seems to satisfy many people, no matter what follows! (Compare hay in Spanish -- there is/are -- always singular.)

I'm guilty of the same, especially with contracted there's.

There's tons of them just like it in the suburbs.

There's cookies and cake in the kitchen if anyone wants a snack.

There's plenty of ways to do it if you just try.

Go figure.

Re: singular or plural? what concern(s)

Yoong Liat — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:36:31 GMT

What sometimes seems to have a plural force but nevertheless requires a singular verb. Clearly we would say What is needed is a spotlight, but what if spotlights - the plural form - is used.instead.

The options are these:

What is needed here is spotlights.

? What are needed are spotlights.

X What is needed are spotlights.

The first construction, with both verbs in the singular, is the best by far.

(The Right Word at the Right Time)

Re: everyone looks like they are

Yoong Liat — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:02:26 GMT

Philip wrote:
Yoong Liat wrote:

Anduy wrote:
Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

Correct. Assuming you are a teacher, I'm wondering if you have a way of explaining to your students what you have said here and then using a plural pronoun (they) to refer to the singular antecedent. I can't explain it to my own native logic.

Could you give me an example of such a sentence so that I can hope to explain, using my non-native logic?

Re: everyone looks like they are

Philip — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:08:09 GMT

Yoong Liat wrote:

Anduy wrote:
Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

Correct. Assuming you are a teacher, I'm wondering if you have a way of explaining to your students what you have said here and then using a plural pronoun (they) to refer to the singular antecedent. I can't explain it to my own native logic.

Re: everyone looks like they are

Yoong Liat — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:57:36 GMT

Anduy wrote:
Everyone looks like they are enjoying the party.
Everyone look like they are enjoying the party.

Please tell me which sentence is the correct one.
Thank you.

Although 'everyone' means 'all the people', a singular verb has to be used.

Every apple is rotten.

Every one of the apples is rotten.

Every one of my friends is helpful.

Everyone is helpful.

Everybody is helpful.

As long as you see 'every' in a sentence the verb in such constructions has to be singular.

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 ... "

Re: is or are?

Yoong Liat — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:15:23 GMT

1. There is a boy and a girl in the playground.

2. There is a boy, a girl and an old man in the playground.

3. There is a boy and two girls in the playground.

4. There are two girls and a boy in the playground.

Some language experts now regard there is as a fixed, unvarying idiom that can precede a (plural) list of nouns so long as the first noun is in the singular. However, the constructions with a singular verb might attract criticism from old-fashioned purists.(The Right Word at the Right Time)

Re: 'I'm one of those kids who think/thinks?

Tanit — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:57:15 GMT

Maple wrote:
There are bugs in English grammar systems while handing number problems, as I observed, but as for this very sentence, I vote for know.

Hi,

I'd personally say I'm one of those kids who think, too.

I only wanted to say that, if native speakers and writers choose to use both and "the use of the singular verb in these constructions is common, even among the best writers" (quoting the American Heritage), maybe we (ESL learners) shouldn't decide what is right or wrong

Re: One of the ... that ...

Zj.frank — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:37:23 GMT

Tanit wrote:

Hi, good question!

I was wandering whether a slightly different point of view exists as for the subject of the sentence:
He is one [of the few] that knows the solution to the problem.
or
He is one of the few that know the solution to the problem.

After some research, I came across this:

"one of those who. Constructions such as one of those people who pose a different problem. Many people argue that who should be followed by a plural verb in these sentences, as in He is one of those people who just donât take ânoâ for an answer. Their thinking is that the relative pronoun who refers to the plural noun people, not to one. They would extend the rule to constructions with inanimate nouns, as in The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products that were ever manufactured in this country.

But the use of the singular verb in these constructions is common, even among the best writers. In an earlier survey, 42 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the use of the singular verb in such constructions. Itâs really a matter of which word you feel is most appropriate as the antecedent of the relative pronounâ one or the plural noun in the of phrase that follows it. Note also that when the phrase containing one is introduced by the definite article, the verb in the relative clause must be singular: He is the only one of the students who has (not have) already taken Latin."

For what it's worth, heere are the Google search results for
"one of the few of that" and
"one of the few of who" in the BBC website only. If you consider only sentences in simple present , you will find both "have" and "has", "do" and "does" and so on.

Thanks, Tanit!

I was writing my previous reply while you posted this one.

The link you provided is really useful.

Re: One of the ... that ...

Tanit — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:18:48 GMT

Zj.frank wrote:
Dear all:

He is one of the few that knows the solution to the problem.
or
He is one of the few that know the solution to the problem.

Do the two "that"s denote different things? Shall we say that the first "that" denotes "he" while the second "that" denotes "the few"? If so, do the two sentences have slightly different meanings?

It seems that the first sentence is more often used. Here is an example from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/films/int/1mm/gluttony/-/films/oneminutemovies/watch/snowball.shtml?gluttony.shtml>

This is the best film on here... and one of the few that bothers with any sense of narrative and character.

Surely there are a few films that bother with some sense of narrative and character. Is it to say that in such case, we usually use "that bothers" rather than "that bother"? Thanks in advance for any enlightenment!

Hi, good question!

I was wandering whether a slightly different point of view exists as for the subject of the sentence:
He is one [of the few] that knows the solution to the problem.
or
He is one of the few that know the solution to the problem.

After some research, I came across this:

"one of those who. Constructions such as one of those people who pose a different problem. Many people argue that who should be followed by a plural verb in these sentences, as in He is one of those people who just donât take ânoâ for an answer. Their thinking is that the relative pronoun who refers to the plural noun people, not to one. They would extend the rule to constructions with inanimate nouns, as in The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products that were ever manufactured in this country.

But the use of the singular verb in these constructions is common, even among the best writers. In an earlier survey, 42 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the use of the singular verb in such constructions. Itâs really a matter of which word you feel is most appropriate as the antecedent of the relative pronounâ one or the plural noun in the of phrase that follows it. Note also that when the phrase containing one is introduced by the definite article, the verb in the relative clause must be singular: He is the only one of the students who has (not have) already taken Latin."

For what it's worth, heere are the Google search results for
"one of the few of that" and
"one of the few of who" in the BBC website only. If you consider only sentences in simple present , you will find both "have" and "has", "do" and "does" and so on.

EDITED: "wandering" is a typo for "wondering". My apologies.