was or were

Forums:
Email this Topic • Print this Page

69 In the afternoon of May 11 one of the two buses which were ferrying the group hit a road kerb, and the impact jerked the 20 student passengers off their seats,” SMU said in a media statement on Monday.

Shouldn't it be "was", as one bus, not both, hit a road kerb?

Thanks.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Question • Score: 1 • Views: 409 • Replies: 5

[+3] - InfraBlue - 05/14/2019"Were" is in reference to the two buses ferrying the group.
[+3] - InfraBlue - 05/16/2019[quote="PUNKEY"] One was ferrying .... [/quote] As it's written, two were ferrying, one of which hit a kerb. If it had been written as, "one of the two buses which [i]was[/i]...

Correct

0 Replies

"two buses which were ferrying the group"

Plural clause takes the plural verb. But only one bus hit the curb so that takes a singular verb.

0 Replies

@tanguatlay,

"Were" is in reference to the two buses ferrying the group.

0 Replies

One was ferrying ....

1 Reply

@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

One was ferrying ....

As it's written, two were ferrying, one of which hit a kerb.

If it had been written as, "one of the two buses which was ferrying the group hit a road kerb," then of the two buses, one was ferrying the group, not the other, and hit a road kerb.

0 Replies

Forums
» was or were

Read Question
Reply to All

was or were

Quick Links

My Account

able2know