Call me Mr. Picky, but I believe that when the collective noun "number" is used
with "a" then it takes a plural verb, but when used with "the", it takes a singular
verb.
A number of candles are . . .
The number of candles is . . .
0 Replies
djjd62
1
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 10:01 am
i are a big fan of the grammar
0 Replies
Francis
1
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 10:54 am
Some stats from google:
"the correct number is" : 66 000 hits
"the correct number are" : 257 hits
"either is correct" : 21 300 hits
"either are correct" : 3 480 hits
"I are a" : 1 490 000 hits.
0 Replies
Reyn
1
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 11:11 am
@Region Philbis,
Region Philbis wrote:
i think it's "are" because you're talking about more than one candle...
I would agree with RP on this one.
You could have:
"The correct type of candle is on the cake", for example.
you people don't have a grammar police to settle this? tsk tsk. we Slovaks, do. In fact it is against the law to use bad grammar, you can be fined up to 100 EUR for that.
Indeed, that's how it should be, but who am I to tell...
0 Replies
Reyn
1
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 05:42 pm
@DrewDad,
Yes, now that I rethink it, I believe you are correct. Well done. I seemed to have forgotten some of my grammar.
0 Replies
Thomas
2
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 05:52 pm
@ebrown p,
"Is". The number of the verb has to match the number of the noun, and the noun you need to match is "number".
Contrast: "There are enough candles on the cake."
0 Replies
Thomas
1
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Mon 9 Mar, 2009 05:54 pm
@dagmaraka,
Seriously? That would make Slovaks even more authoritarian than the French. I always thought that's a tough standard to match when it comes to language.
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