What Qualities And Requirements Do/Does?

ForumsGrammar & Sentence Structure
  •  1
+0
"What qualities and requirements do/does a potential multilingual person need to meet?"

I have no idea, what rule applies to this particular case because I have been told by two native speakers different things unless I am mistaken. Could you please help me a bit and provide me with an explanation?

Thank you in advance.
+0
If you change the question to the answer, then the correct form becomes clear:

A potential multilingual person does need to meet these qualities and requirements.
1 2
Comments  
Students: Are you brave enough to let our tutors analyse your pronunciation?
I thought so! I was just confused by an alleged native speaker whose mother tongue was seemingly other than English.

Thank you very much.Emotion: smile
Alphecca,

Changing the question into an answer works when you are determining "who" vs "whom." It does not work for determining subject/verb agreement.

This is confusing for native speakers, too. Just think in simple terms of subject-verb agreement. The first sentence (a question) has subject that is both plural and compound "qualities" and "requirements" are both plural, and using the two together with the word "and" makes the subject compound. You must make the verb agree with the subject, using the plural "do need" When you change the question into a statement, you have switched the subject "qualities and requirements" with the object "person," making the singular "person" into the new subject. Therefore, the verb will change to the singular "does need."

SUBJECT: qualities and requirements
VERB: do need
OBJECT: person

SUBJECT: person
VERB: does need
OBJECT: qualities and requirements
What qualities do a potential multilingual person need to meet?
What requirements do a potential multilingual person need to meet?
What (qualities) and (requirements) do a potential multilingual person need to meet?

All evidence points to plural. Does is wrong.
Students: We have free audio pronunciation exercises.
I am not any clearer whatsoever! Emotion: big smile

A native English speaker, whose English course I attend here in the Czech Republic as a preparation for CAE, corrected it to "does" as well, but you maintain something else. So what is the conclusion, please? Emotion: smile

Thank you for your opinions!
MaroldSo what is the conclusion, please?
That's up for you to decide, Marold. Often volunteers disagree with one another on a certain subject, and that's when the OP has to make up his own mind using all of the information offered. Which explanation makes the most sense to you?
Aspara GusWhat qualities do a potential multilingual person need to meet?
So this one is correct?

What kinds of people do he like to meet?

I don't think so.
Teachers: We supply a list of EFL job vacancies
Aspara GusWhat qualities do a potential multilingual person need to meet?What requirements do a potential multilingual person need to meet?What (qualities) and (requirements) do a potential multilingual person need to meet?All evidence points to plural. Does is wrong.
Emotion: surprise

Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!

Duck and cover! The asteroid is about to hit!

CJ
Show more

Answer this Question

Guides