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(assuming you believe in rules for language use)Use language rule to-be for <singular> <singular> <plural> <plural3<continuing>> <possession>
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Faldage,
What does your post mean?
<plural> <plural3<continuing>> <possession>
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Joined: Dec 2000
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OP
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Translated into what passes for Modern English:
There's always rules for language use
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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WW, I'm as confused as you are.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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I are confused as they is.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 8
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 8 |
Hi All, (and A Happy New year/Ugadi for all the Indian members)
An amateur's reasoning ;-).
Consider the examples given by Maahey:
[1] A number of members were absent
[2] The number of elderly is rising
In the Eg [1] - the subject is 'A number of' meaning MANY and hence plural. So it should be followed by a verb in plural form. Looking at Eg [2], 'The number of' takes the subject position, which is singular hence followed by a verb in singular form. This is one of the frequently asked Subject-Verb agreement type question on the TOEFL*.
And, if any of you are preparing for TOEFL, do visit the site - www.testmagic.com. They maintain an archive of TOEFL Essays and and also give grammatical tips for the same.
Hope this helps you.
*TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language (www.toefl.org)
Kiran
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addict
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addict
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A Happy New Year to you, Kiran!
Is the meaning of the word Ugadi, 'New Year'?
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Carpal Tunnel
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In response to pfranz's writing that " 'the number were' is just plain wrong," I contacted a grammar guru. I was fairly certain that in certain instances the word number would take a plural verb, but just wanted an authority to write about the subject.
In the meantime, I posted the definition from Merriam Webster that showed one instance in which number would take a plural verb, and maahey nailed the rule by pointing to the definite and indefinite article markers. I'll paste below my question to the guru and her response, which is pretty much identical to maahey's:
Hello.
I have a question about the word 'number.' I don't think I'm incorrect in
my thinking--but I may be. Are there times that the word 'number' would be
best followed by a plural verb? For instance, let's say there are groups of
people who behave differently upon being rained upon. Many go inside;
others seek shelter beneath tents; a good number go to the management of
the event to complain.
In that kind of instance--and other similar instances--wouldn't 'number'
take a plural verb?
Thanks for whatever clarification you may be able to provide.
Best regards,
XXXXXXXXXX
Hi XXXXXXXXXX,
As a collective noun "number" may take either a singular or a plural verb. It takes a singular verb when it is preceded by the definite article "the": The number of skilled workers is small. It takes a plural verb when preceded by the indefinite article "a": A number of the workers are unskilled. This would hold true for any beginning with "there": There are A number of ...." It also takes a plural verb when other references within the sentence are plural, such as in your example. The use of the plurals "many" and "others" (not to mention the article "a")would make "number" plural.
Linda
Linda M. DeVore
DeVore Desktop Design
Copyediting & Publishing
Ms. DeVore is a publisher of a grammar site and grammar rule of the week email.
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