Questions tagged [agreement]
For questions about how words change depending on other words in a sentence. Also called concord.
108
questions
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47 views
Cashews are excellent sources of magnesium?
A mistake I've heard many English learners use happens to be really hard to explain, so I'll give some examples:
Scissors are major causes of blindness among irresponsible children instead of "...
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1answer
58 views
Can a morphologically singular noun sometimes take a plural verb if semantics permits so?
I have had this rather mind-boggling question: Do the following sentences require a singular or plural verb?
The blue and the red dice are/is rolled on the floor.
Geraldine's and Gerald's car are ...
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2answers
50 views
“more activity” why singular?
I came across this sentence while reading an article:
"The massive, untracked streams of cash it creates can fuel more illegal activity, including terrorism."
It seems weird to me that the ...
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0answers
416 views
any of this or these?
Can you help me correct this sentence? "Whether it's a cup of coffee or tea, our cake goes well with any of THIS or THESE? " this seems a little confusing since ANY is usually used in plural ...
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2answers
41 views
“It is two teachers' birthday today” or “It is two teachers' birthdays today”?
Apparently I've been involved in a debate in the Duolingo forums for about a year on whether when two possessors in a possessive construction possess the same shared/common object, whether the object ...
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18 views
Using “between” to introduce a set of traits or circumstances
I was wondering if this construction using "between" to introduce a set of traits/circumstances was correct. (I'm also interested in alternative phrases that may be more appropriate):
...
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2answers
93 views
Is the Usage “I are” proper English? [closed]
So I'm reading a 19th-century novel called The Count of Monte Cristo, and I came across this particular usage, which is:
[H]e continued," let us make all possible speed. I are most anxious to ...
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1answer
204 views
The difference between 'I don't know nothing else' and 'I know nothing else' [duplicate]
What is the difference between the following?
I don't know nothing else
and
I know nothing else
There's a don't in the first sentence, however both sentences translated the same in google ...
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1answer
126 views
“Systems those were” or “systems that were”?
Please, someone, help me to understand why is this first sentence incorrect?
Incorrect: And it has affected the most to the systems those were already fragile.
Correct: And it has affected the most ...
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1answer
30 views
Which sentence is correct and why: agreement?
Please tell me which is correct and why:
My favorite thing to smell is flowers.
Or
My favorite things to smell are flowers.
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2answers
130 views
When the verb precedes the noun “percentage”, a singular verb is required
According to Garner's fourth edition
When the verb precedes the noun percentage, a singular verb is required. That is,
a higher percentage of them are, but there is a higher percentage of
them
I'd ...
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0answers
178 views
Subject verb agreement question regarding “seem/seems” [duplicate]
Sentence: "Two weeks seems to be the virus's maximum incubation period."
What is the subject of the sentence? I can't figure out if it's the virus or the incubation period. Also, generally, when you ...
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0answers
694 views
Would it be correct to say “thank you to everyone”?
Would it be correct to say "Thank you to everyone"? It seems like there would be two direct objects to the verb "thank".
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1answer
72 views
“Choosing appropriate architectures” - singular or plural agreement?
Choosing appropriate architectures {are} crucial
or
Choosing appropriate architectures {is} crucial
To my knowledge [choosing something] is a single action, it should be followed by [is]. Please ...
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0answers
39 views
When a sentence starts with “No” and has multiple subjects, which subject does the verb agree with? [duplicate]
Should it be "No juice and coffee are served," or "No juice and coffee is served?"
1
vote
1answer
34 views
Is or Are subject verb agreement
I have a question in subject verb agreement. Which one below is correct
Lazy riding, fast walking and long jumping are just the way of who they are.
Lazy riding, fast walking and long jumping is ...
0
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1answer
83 views
Usage of “all” in a sentence [closed]
"All the apples in the basket are good"
vs
"All the apple is good" [meaning the whole apple is good?].
Are both usages correct?
If yes please explain why. From here it seems both the usages ...
1
vote
2answers
60 views
Verb tense agreement - 'Do' vs. 'did'
I want to say something like, 'Would many women, if asked, say they feel unsatisfied with the way they are treated? They would say that they /do/.'
A friend advised me to change 'do' to 'did'. But I'...
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0answers
20 views
I don't like it too [duplicate]
I know that the sentence "I don't like it, either" is correct.
I've come across some native speakers say, "I don't like it,too." What about this variant?
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1answer
183 views
There (was/were) once or twice that I failed my maths [closed]
Doing revision and homework (is/are) good for students.
There (was/were) once or twice that I failed my maths.
Which verb in the parentheses is correct?
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0answers
538 views
What is the question tag for sentences whose subjects are “none…is” and “each…is”? [duplicate]
I know that indefinite pronouns like none and each take singular verbs, but what about their question tags?
None of the boys has passed the test, ________?
Each of the girls was given a prize, ...
0
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1answer
45 views
What's the correct verb to be used? [closed]
would I say: Having a suitable Tone, Pace and Volume is or are integral to ensuring excellent quality over the phone.
1
vote
1answer
188 views
“Log hours against a task”
To give a little bit of context, I work on an software development company and we use a project management tool in which we raise tasks (we call them jiras, actually, but nevermind that) that ...
1
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1answer
65 views
Concord with gender-neutral “they” [duplicate]
I was wondering what the general take is on concord with they as a gender-neutral 3rd person singular pronoun. I assume there are no hard and fast rules here yet, seeing that this is a fairly new ...
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1answer
25 views
Which one is correct? Watching soccer games make/makes me happy
"Watching soccer games" is the subject but the teacher argues that it is the word"watching"
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1answer
55 views
This data are treated anonymously
I saw this sentence on a web service. But I think this sentence is wrong.
"This data are treated anonymously."
I think it should be either of these.
"This data is treated anonymously."
"These data ...
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2answers
859 views
Verb agreement with two gerunds as subject
I would like to know which of the following sentences is correct:
Translating and adapting texts for different audiences composes the key of this theory
Translating and adapting texts for different ...
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vote
2answers
290 views
Is there any such thing as noun pronoun proximity?
I have read of Concord (or noun-verb agreement) and was wondering if, is as I have been told, there is a similar grammar rule for noun-pronoun agreement/proximity.
When there's a sentence where two ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
Knew, realized + the past/present
Please consider the following:
I knew the building (IS/WAS) thirty feet tall.
They realized I (AM/WAS) his son.
My question: both those clauses contain general truths. So, do I need to use ...
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2answers
69 views
Why “they”, and not “it”, is used here? [closed]
It seems to me that the author should have used a singular pronoun here:
Bakunin: Universal suffrage by the whole people of
representatives and rulers of the state — this is the last
word of ...
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0answers
37 views
Can you say “what was —- a reaction to?”
If I mean to ask the main causes of something, so I want to know what something reacted to, can I say “what was the war a reaction to?”? It sounds pretty weird to me... I’d rather say “what did the ...
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1answer
42 views
1-1 correspondence
This case really bothers me while I am speaking. Here is the situation: I have a group of four students. Each has the textbook named "Gandhi Readers". So, there are four textbooks, yet there is only ...
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1answer
967 views
most of that or most of them or most of it
I happened to read the following sentence in ‘Poached’ by Stuart Gibbs, which deals with coalas.
They(Coalas) rest sixteen to eighteen hours a day and spend most of that unconscious.
But I wonder ...
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1answer
139 views
was vs were in “The teachers discussed Jim, one of whose problems was poor study habits” [closed]
In the sentence below:
The teachers discussed Jim, one of whose problems was poor study habits.
Why was is used in the adjective clauses?
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1answer
62 views
Function of fractions in NPs + form of subsequent verb
I have two questions about the clause two thirds of the book deals with WWII:
i) how do we analyse the subject of this clause from a syntactic point of view? I'd analyse it as a NP, with the ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Usage singular vs plural for “in their hands” and “on their face”
Considering that Sam and his brother are waiting together for a movie to start, and each of them has a sugar candy in their hand, and each of them smiles… what will be the most grammatically correct ...
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0answers
135 views
singular noun-verb agreement with superlative adjective
Is the noun-verb following sentence correct?:
"Most metaphysics has been determined by it."
I thought that with the superlative adjective 'most', the subject is made plural; but can it also be ...
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0answers
15 views
Nouns following the verb “turn”
I am wondering why we use a singilar noun in the following construction:
-The two brothers turned "terrorist".
Is there any explanation for using the singular form?
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0answers
931 views
“What Seem” vs “What Seems” with plural
I have prayed what seem like the same prayers for so long.
OR
I have prayed what seems like the same prayers for so long.
-2
votes
2answers
464 views
Why do my legs (plural) ache (singular) but my back (singular) aches (plural) [closed]
I couldn't think how to word the title without writing my whole question, I am a native English speaker so while I understand saying "my legs aches" is wrong and sounds weird, I have no idea why. Same ...
2
votes
2answers
713 views
Which to be verb do you use when listing items?
I'm confused about what "to be verb" to use when you create a list of items.
I mean when you talk about 3 or 4 items. What "to be verb" goes after "how much"? I read that "how much" always goes with ...
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0answers
94 views
a large amount of the population speaks/speak? [duplicate]
Can you say "a large amount of the population" or should it be "a large number of the population?
And if you CAN say "a large amount of the population" is this amount considered singular or plural?
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0answers
51 views
'Do/Don't' in 3rd person singular [duplicate]
A lot of song lyrics include phrases where "do/don't" is used instead of "does/doesn't" with subjects in 3rd person singular.
We are taught that is incorrect grammar. But, given how widespread that ...
0
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1answer
43 views
Spain and United Kingdom's … Response or Responses?
I'm not quite sure which would be right.
(i) A comparative study of Spain and United Kingdom's Response to EU Mechanism
(ii) A comparative study of Spain and United Kingdom's Responses to EU ...
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2answers
2k views
“one (or many!) thing” vs. “one (or many!) things”
I understand that, without the parentheses, the correct form would be "one or more things". However, if one wants to make "(or many!)" a parenthetical remark, should that affect the agreement of the ...
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2answers
536 views
One among the few shops that offer or offers [duplicate]
One among the few shops in London that offer or offers designer clothes.
0
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1answer
282 views
Which has higher priority, grammar or logic? [closed]
"Sunset on Mars is blue."
Is this statement grammatically correct. Of course there is also the concern if accuracy/logic overrides grammar.
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1answer
43 views
They are not merely <inconveniences/an inconvenience>, they are <dangers/a danger> to health
This Guardian article titled "William Wordsworth review – inspiration and smoking chimneys" has this passage:
It is 14 years since the publication of Lyrical Ballads. Wordsworth’s
income from ...
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1answer
2k views
It is correct to say “All who believe” or All who believes?" [closed]
Is "All" the subject in this sentence or is "who" the subject?
If all is the subject then believe would be the correct verb agreement.
If who is the subject then believes would be the correct verb ...
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2answers
18k views
Is “Behalves” A Proper Plural of “Behalf”?
The following sentence appears in a syllabus of a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (at page 3):
The panel affirmed the district court’s dismissal of Longoria’s
...
