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

Re: Question in "everybody"

Cool Breeze — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:24:05 GMT

I would say:

Everybody (who/whom/that) I know has gone away and I'll miss them.

Everybody takes a singular verb but can be followed by a plural pronoun:

Everybody has to take off his hat, or: Everybody has to take off their hats.

Cheers
CB

Re: On &quot;data&quot; pronunciation

My2sense — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 13:05:09 GMT

Anonymous wrote:

A Psychology professor at UC Berkeley said that dah-ta (like "dad") is the singular, while day-ta (like "today") is the plural. In other words, you would say "these day-ta", but "this dah-ta."

I haven't heard this from any other source, and I've also heard another Psychology professor at UC Berkeley say "day-ta" for singular. When I've worked with people who process data on a regular basis (in Psychology research labs), we almost always use the plural form, so I haven't had much chance to see how someone would pronounce the singular form.

Honestly, this is some petty stuff that doesn't matter, though it's one of those things that makes you curious because you want to know what is "correct". I have the same feelings toward the who/whom controversy--it doesn't matter enough for me to know how to use it, but I still want to know which is "correct".

I think the only way to resolve this issue is to hit up the Oxford English Dictionary or a professor of English who really knows the nitty gritty.

Honestly, this is some petty stuff that doesn't matter, though it's one of those things that makes you curious because you want to know what is "correct". I have the same feelings toward the who/whom controversy--it doesn't matter enough for me to know how to use it, but I still want to know which is "correct".

So true! Suffice to say it can be pronounced either way.

From askoxford: Strictly speaking, data is the plural of datum, and should be used with a plural verb (like facts). However, there has been a growing tendency to use it as an equivalent to the uncountable noun information, followed by a singular verb. This is now regarded as generally acceptable in American use, and in the context of information technology. The traditional usage is still preferable, at least in Britain, but it may soon become a lost cause.

Re: Across the road there is (are?) a store and a fire hall

Kenny Dorham — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 19:09:22 GMT

The question here concerns subject-verb agreement. Almost always the the verb agrees with the subject in number. We say "Homer rides into town" and "John and Homer ride into town." In the first sentence the 3rd person singular verb "rides" agrees with the singular subject "Homer," and in the second sentence the plural verb "ride" agrees with the plural subject "John and Homer." So far, so good.
Often, however, the expletive "there" is used to fill up the space in which we usually expect to find the subject. Lookfar's sentence "Ther [sic] is a list of things; there are things on the list" is an example. The first "there" is followed by the singular verb "is" and then the singular subject "list" and the second "there" is followed by the plural verb "are" and the plural subject "things." Subject-verb agreement all around.
But when using a expletive, complications arise if the subject that follows the verb is compound and the first subject is singular. This is the case in the original sentence "Across the road there is (are?) a store and a fire hall." There is no doubt that the subject is plural ("a store and a fire hall") and that "Across the road there are a store and a fire house" would, certainly by a vast majority of English teachers, be considered correct. The problem is that "there are a store" sounds a little strange. No worries, though, because before we have time to ponder this possible problem we get our second subject ("a fire hall").
Consider this sentence, though: "There are John, whom I haven't seen in years, and Fred, my once-best friend, sitting on a park bench." Or, "There are a dog with a clipped tail and a scruffy cat on my lawn." There is no question that the subject in both sentences is plural, but "There are John" and There are a dog" offend the ear. In this case, for what it is worth, I believe it is acceptable to make the verb agree with the following subject.

Kenny Dorham

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

Re: Question in "everybody"

Re: On &amp;quot;data&amp;quot; pronunciation

Re: Across the road there is (are?) a store and a fire hall

Re: On "data" pronunciation