Questions tagged [agreement]
For questions about how words change depending on other words in a sentence. Also called concord.
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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
34 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
31 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
33 views
was vs were in “The teachers discussed Jim, one of whose problems was poor study habits”
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
55 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
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1answer
99 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
40 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
13 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
187 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.
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2answers
119 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 ...
1
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2answers
55 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
35 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
43 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 ...
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1answer
39 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
982 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
76 views
One among the few shops that offer or offers [duplicate]
One among the few shops in London that offer or offers designer clothes.
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1answer
180 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
36 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
547 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
6k 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
...
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0answers
87 views
“There IS/ARE an even number of rules” - What is the correct verb and what is the subject? [duplicate]
What is the subject in the following sentence and is the verb agreement correct?
"There is an even number of rules."
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1answer
2k views
I would agree vs I agree?
I don't know why many people say "I would agree/disagree" when expressing their agreement regarding point of view or statement, while would is intended to express incertitude of action in the future.
...
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1answer
240 views
Subject-verb agreement with “whether” [duplicate]
Which of the following choices makes this sentence is grammatically correct? or is there a better approach?
It's unclear whether he/him or I/me is/are first in line.
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0answers
39 views
Noun-adjective agreement [duplicate]
What is correct here?
it could pay your mortgage and car payments
it could pay your mortgage and car payment
The monthly payments are separate and distinct so #1 sounds right, but in #2, mortgage ...
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2answers
89 views
Subject-verb agreement : is or are [duplicate]
which one is correct? Could we consider both somehow correct?
Using idioms and expressions is appreciated.
Or
Using idioms and expressions are appreciated.
Thanks a lot.
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0answers
890 views
Do we have a “Subject-Object Agreement” guideline? [closed]
Ok, we often hear people say "Subject-Verb-Agreement" Eg I am, you are, he does....
But what about "Subject-Object Agreement"?
Let see these sentence:
We have no problem when saying:
"I have to ...
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0answers
331 views
Singular subject with plural predicate nominative: Ungrammatical? Unacceptable?
Is a singular subject with a plural predicate nominative ever ungrammatical (or unacceptable)?
I ask because several non-native speakers have told me that a singular subject with a plural predicate ...
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1answer
243 views
Make/Makes Confusion [closed]
Can anyone help explain to me why the answer to the following question is what it is.
The Navajo language is complex, with a structure and sound that makes it unintelligible to anyone without ...
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3answers
4k views
Is it “makes” or “make” in this sentence?
Throughout history Milan has been alternately dominated by France,
Spain, and Austria, which makes it a city full of different cultural
influences.
I thought it was 'make' at first, because ...
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votes
1answer
758 views
“are each” + singular/plural noun?
The boxes are each containers of uniquely colored balls. So, to get two balls of the same color, two boxes need to be opened.
or
The boxes are each a container of uniquely colored balls. So, to ...
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2answers
2k views
“Royal we” agreement
I stumbled across a question about synonyms for "hypocrite", and of course I then got even more distracted by this comment:
@MichaelPaulukonis: +1, great comment. Interesting question at the end: ...
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2answers
2k views
Which should it be — need or needs [closed]
Which one should it be -- need or needs
The following is a list of staff, from your district, who need authorization.
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2answers
2k views
Why don't adjectives agree with nouns in English?
I had never actually thought about this before now, probably because I'm a native speaker of English. But once I gave it some thought, I was actually a little surprised that adjectives in English do ...
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1answer
674 views
he or she with their? [duplicate]
I have a question about a sentence.
When writing for mass media, success goes to he or she who puts their most important info at the top of the story.
Should it be he or she paired with their?
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3answers
589 views
What form of “to be” to use with “former/latter”?
Consider this:
Universities and polytechnics are actively encouraged by the government of this country. The former are to provide academic education based on research, and the latter are to provide ...
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1answer
371 views
Correct use of are/is [duplicate]
I usually hear people incorrectly using are/is such as in the sentences "I don't know what is that" or "Do you know what are the examples?" What is the correct use of grammar called in these instances?...
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votes
2answers
390 views
Until someone does? is? has?
From a post on Scott Alexander's Slate Star Codex blog:
I also think that nobody has ever been able to consistently extract anything useful or scalable out of them, and until someone does, they’ll ...
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1answer
79 views
Is 'the most remarkable thing that can be readjusted by environmental cues is our body clocks' grammatical?
The most remarkable thing that can be readjusted by environmental cues is our body clocks
I think the subject and the compliment do not match and look awkward. What do you think?
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1answer
338 views
tense agreement [closed]
Raphael ranks among the greatest artists of all time. Yet they say he
once sold what has since become a masterpiece for a bit of food. One
evening the great painter saw a mother singing to her ...
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0answers
54 views
“This assignment is for the full term of the assigned rights” - meaning
I try to understand what does
"This assignment is for the full term of the assigned rights"
mean in the following paragraph:
The Consultant hereby assigns to the Client all of its Intellectual
...
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1answer
202 views
members get to train their ability/abilities to
"Members get to train their ability to..."
"Members get to train their abilities to..."
The first one sounds more "natural", but how am I supposed to explain this in terms of agreement?
By the way ...
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2answers
832 views
Deaths of both Romeo and Juliet or death of both Romeo and Juliet
I was writing an essay about Romeo and Juliet when I faced this problem.
Is it "deaths of both Romeo and Juliet" or "death of both Romeo and Juliet"? I think the prepositional complement has to agree ...
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1answer
374 views
Correct noun usage in a sentence - singular or plural?
Should the noun position be singular or plural in the following sentence?
You should focus on the position(s) of your lips and tongue pronouncing this sound.
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4answers
5k views
Is this correct: “Our listeners are what make X”?
I listen to a podcast that I like, but every episodes ends with
Our listeners are what make [podcast name] possible.
which makes me cringe a little each time I hear it. Is it just me, or is the ...
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4answers
343 views
noun-pronoun agreement
Like the planets, the stars are in motion, some of them at tremendous
speeds, but they...
Just based on the above, how can we tell which noun the pronoun they refers to: planets or stars? Is there ...
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votes
1answer
99 views
How do I get singular objects to agree with 2 possessive nouns?
Which sentence below is grammatically correct and indicates that a driver damaged the engine in my car and the engine in my brother's car? (Different websites offer conflicting answers.)
A) My ...
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1answer
3k views
“his mother look very tired”
Is it correct to say,
James could see his mother look very tired from all the chores.
The options in the test paper were the following:
1) looks 2) look 3) looked 4) had looked
I would have ...
2
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1answer
190 views
Is it correct to use plural, then define it in singular form?
For example:
Snow leopards, another mammal with a relatively large tail, are also known to [...]
Edit: changed from big cat to mammal to emphasise that it's a definition, not a noun.
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1answer
243 views
How to agree verb with has and will in same sentence? [duplicate]
The sentence is-
The management has never and will never close the door to negotiations.
Textbooks says closed should be use instead of close.
I am confused as it sounds strange to ears.
Which one ...
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0answers
19 views
Send an invitation and let the user create their own password [duplicate]
Send an invitation and let the user create their own password
In this sentence user is singular, and their is plural. So I am confused whether this sentence is correct or not.
Is this sentence ...
