Is this sentence wrong?
Spicy food have reduced the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
If it is wrong then please explain why it is wrong? Is food Plural or Singular ?
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english.stackexchange.com/questions/58324/… – Max Williams Jan 29 '18 at 15:43
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@MaxWilliams: The accepted and pretty high rated answer on your linked question states that "[food as an uncountable noun] is already plural". That might be confusing for the OP. – Armen Ծիրունյան Jan 29 '18 at 17:07
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1@ever alian: The sentence is wrong because "food", whether or not it is used as a countable or uncountable noun, is singular, and agrees with the verb as such. It should be either "Spicy food has..." or "Spicy foods have..." – Armen Ծիրունյան Jan 29 '18 at 17:08
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Spicy foodstuffs have ... – Nigel J Jan 30 '18 at 6:40
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"Food" in your sentence is a collective noun.
A collective noun names a group of individuals or things with a singular form. Examples of collective nouns are: faculty, herd, team. There are collective nouns for people, animals, objects, and concepts. The use of a singular or plural verb depends on the context of the sentence. If one is referring to the whole group as a single entity, then the singular verb is best: The school board has called a special session.
(Dictionary.com. Emphasis mine.)
In your example, "food" is referring to the whole group of spicy foods as a single entity, so the singular verb should be used:
Spicy food has reduced the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
Alternately, you can use the plural "foods", perhaps to emphasize many different types of spicy things to eat. You would then use the plural verb, like so:
Spicy foods have reduced the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
answered Jan 29 '18 at 21:05
