Questions tagged [grammatical-number]
This tag applies to questions that deal with grammatical number: “singular” versus “plural”, and (rarely) also “dual”.
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Using a collective noun when only a single item exists?
A statement like "dodos were flightless birds" seems to be using a collective noun; "dodos" being is the collective.
But in the case where a group actually only had a single item, would a usage like ...
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0answers
16 views
Singular or plural in argumentation writing [on hold]
I'm writing an essay on accommodation types. And I have two sentences going as follows:
1. Living in an apartment saves the occupant/s time and labour.
2. The occupant/s can better spend their time on ...
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0answers
39 views
Is higher ranking a 'bigger number' or a 'smaller number'? [on hold]
Hello sophisticated linguists of the net!
So a friend of mine posted a news: Indonesia is ranked 15 out of all country in military power.
With the surprised caption: "whoa 15 ain't a small number"
...
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0answers
24 views
noun/plural/sngle
I'm having trouble in the grammar of this sentence: In urban areas, the graduation index of general high school and higher education was greater than 1, while that of compulsory education and ...
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3answers
37 views
“There is” OR “There are” an unusual number of bees this summer?
Can you show me which one is the correct sentence?
"There is an unusual number of bees this summer."
or
"There are an unusual number of bees this summer."
I suppose that "There are" is more ...
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1answer
44 views
What is the correct way to express a number with all its digits?
I have the following table:
On the last column, I have expressed the numbers in billions as it is mentioned at the top. However, I want the last number (Final sample size) to be expressed fully. Is ...
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0answers
38 views
If I define a quantity as 2x or 3x an item, should the item then be in plural form? [closed]
Using the below example of shirt (picked at random), which one is correct?
2 x shirt
2 x shirts
In addition, is it convention to keep the 'x' with the quantity/number, or add a space in between?
4
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1answer
43 views
Why ”were” and not “was” in “and e’en to tell it ᴡᴇʀᴇ no easy task”?
I am reading a translation of Dante’s Inferno made by Cary in 1805. Here I cite the translator’s text for the opening of Canto I:
In the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy ...
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1answer
39 views
Can plural noun be followed by another plural noun
I am new to English and this forum as well. You may have sensed it already.
Here is my question:
Can plural noun be followed by another plural noun?
As in the example:
Notifications settings
...
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0answers
13 views
Do I use an apostrophe if I'm referring to several medical IVs? [duplicate]
First sentence (with apostrophe):
The IV's continued to drip as she thrashed on the bed.
OR
Second sentence (no apostrophe):
The IVs continued to drip as she thrashed on the bed.
Which one of ...
1
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1answer
28 views
Question on attributive nouns/noun adjuncts
I am writing a review in English and I need to use the structure ‘eye movement changes’, ‘eye movement abnormalities’ with ‘eye movements’ in the form of a noun adjunct. Even in the title I would need ...
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0answers
22 views
What's the context of “performance” or “performances” in this case? [duplicate]
This question explains the singular and plural of performance depends on the contex. One person answers that regarding algorithms, it's always singular, but perhaps other people disagreed. Here's ...
2
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0answers
19 views
Choose: Six years (seems, seem) too much time to build a house [duplicate]
Choose: Six years (seems, seem) too much time to build a house.
I have this question while solving an exam in English, it appears to be "seems" but the plural noun phrase (six years) leading you to "...
1
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0answers
28 views
Plurality of ratios: 0/1 question(s) selected
How does plurality work with ratios? To me, it sounds like it should always be plural, but I'm not sure.
For each of the cases should it be questions or question?
0/0 questions selected
0/1 ...
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0answers
22 views
Meeting room or meetings room [duplicate]
A friend from work asked me why he should write meetings room, instead of meeting room. For him it made more sense to use the plural word meetings as several meetings were held in that place. I know ...
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0answers
19 views
Mixed singular/plural — which verb to use?
Sometimes I find myself saying something like this: “The unifying factor in all my favorite songs is unusual time signatures.”
“Unifying factor” is singular but “time signatures” is plural. Which one ...
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2answers
111 views
'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
'They ride a bike.' vs 'They ride bikes.'
I don't know the difference between these.
When each person rides a bike one by one, Can I use this sentence? >> 'They ride a bike.'
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1answer
49 views
Should “translation” be plural in “specializing in English and German translation”?
I am specializing in English and German translations.
I am specializing in English and German translation.
Are both sentences usable? Would the plural of the word highlighted modify the meaning ...
0
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1answer
14 views
CASchool students' artworks reflect/reflects ?(Plural)
I'm asking about putting "s" at the end in this sentence. Which one is correct? "CASchool students’ artworks reflect their perspectives on road safety." or "CASchool students’ artworks reflects ...
0
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0answers
53 views
Final /s/ vs /z/ sound at the end of verbs/nouns issue [duplicate]
So, I've seen this rule at several English books about how if a word has a voiced final sound (e.g. r, voiced th, l, m, n..) then added 's' is pronounced more like /z/. If the final sound is voiceless ...
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2answers
54 views
Should the concept of a quantity of objects be considered singular or plural?
My gut says that
"Fifteen options is too many"
is more correct than
"Fifteen options are too many"
but I can't articulate why the subject feels like a singular concept.
Which is correct?
0
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1answer
24 views
How to refer to different “sleep time” of multiple people? [closed]
The lengths of time periods are different.
Should I use "..., whose sleep times are different"? Or just "..., whose sleep time are different"?
0
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1answer
31 views
The Calvary Singular or Plural [duplicate]
Would you say "The Calvary wasn't coming" or "The Calvary weren't coming"?
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1answer
39 views
“Our generation” - it, they or we?
My sentence is: "Our generation work (because "generation" is a collective noun and here I use it in the plural) mainly on computers, we/they/it do(es) not need...". Which pronoun should I use?
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4answers
63 views
A modifier clause after “one of the xxxs” – singular or plural?
I wrote a sentence of the kind "XXX contains one of the most powerful lubricants that prevent rusty gears, the main cause of machine failure."
This is too wordy, of course, but never mind. The grammar ...
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2answers
44 views
What is the correct preposition after “rights”?
This question came up for me within the context of intellectual property rights in a film grant competition.
When “right” is singular, the correct preposition is “to,” such as in the right to free ...
1
vote
2answers
50 views
Family business name apostrophe 's or s'
My brother and I are setting up a painting and decorating business and there's a small dispute to where our apostrophe goes. Initially, I thought "Sheppards' Painting and Decorating Company" would be ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
Word-usage: “two pair” or “two pairs”? Proper phrasing: If one has “two pairs of eyes on everything” wouldn’t that mean they have four eyes?
I was considering downloading the Grammarly app and was reading the reviews. I cut and pasted the following review just to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes:
“When I discovered Grammarly it ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
“Those who buy a second unit?” [closed]
I am not a native English speaker. Maybe the question is stupid...
Each consumer chooses one of the two options: (1) buying one unit; or (2) buying a second unit. When I want to say some consumers (...
0
votes
3answers
60 views
Is virus a countable or non-countable noun?
I have read that virus is both a countable and non-countable noun. I am therefore unsure which of the following is grammatically correct.
There are six types of computer virus available.
There are ...
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2answers
59 views
“Five and a half million tons of laundry is / are sent to…” [closed]
I don't know which one to use, "is" or "are"?
Thank you
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1answer
61 views
Rule for deciding the plural form of “space jellyfish”?
I've just written the question Are there “Space Jellyfish” in Florida? Would they be possible?
The phenomenon is described in Wikipedia as follows:
A space jellyfish (or jellyfish UFO; also ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
singular subject but verb changes depending on statement or question [closed]
I'm married to a non-native English speaker so I often get to correct his English. However, I can't always explain WHY one way is correct and the other is not.
I heard him ask a customer, "Where ...
0
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1answer
47 views
What's the Singular term for Music? [closed]
I'd like to know what's the singular term of music, is it muse?
1
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1answer
70 views
Is “et al. [1]” used as a singular or plural subject?
I've checked out a similar question, but to the best of my knowledge, it only tells me that "Name et al." is used as a singular subject since it refers to the authors, but what if the “et al..” part ...
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0answers
21 views
Police Have…vs Police Has [duplicate]
The State Police Have Busted the thief or The state police has busted the thief?
According to me,
It is Have because police is a group of people. So police is plural noun.
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2answers
28 views
“technical work” singular or plural?
Should I use "are" or "is" in this sentence?
The technical work done at these meetings is an import precursor to the...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Is “outcome” plural? [closed]
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
Our participation will ensure that the outcome of the meetings are compatible with the interests of the U.S. for transportation and classification of XXX ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
Number and Capitalization of Phrase [closed]
At work we have what we call "environments" (groups of computers, essentially). Each environment has a number (e.g., Environment 1). I maintain a list of the environments. I am unsure how to ...
0
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1answer
43 views
Plural or singular noun in this case?
"The line graph illustrates the amount of goods which was delivered by road, water, rail and pipeline in the UK from 2000 to 2005".
Should I use "amount" or "amounts" in this case? (I am writing a ...
0
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0answers
21 views
One in five don't care [duplicate]
I'm looking at a sentence on the side of a box of Imperfect Produce (TM.) It reads:
"1 in 5 fruits and veggies grown in the U.S. don't meet the strict cosmetic standards of grocery stores, often ...
0
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1answer
26 views
Plurals usage in sentence
I always get confused when I have to use plurals in sentences like the following:
Please specify circuits and boards wirings identifiers.
Is it correct to add the "s" at the end of all of them?
Or ...
3
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2answers
61 views
Plural of numbers (as nouns)
I really tried to find an answer in Internet but turns out I've found two different answers for the same question: how do you say the plural of a number (used as noun)?
Let me elaborate:
Suppose I'm ...
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2answers
136 views
How is “Scope of Work” pluralized: “Scopes of Work” or “Scope of Works”?
If a title of a thing has a prepositional phrase in it, does the plural form pluralize the subject or the object of the preposition, i.e. 'Scope of Work', is the plural form 'Scopes of Work', or '...
0
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2answers
38 views
Grocery or Goods
Grocery - items of food sold in a grocery store (Google). But suppose I bought a few cleaning items along with the food stuff can the collection still be called grocery? Or maybe goods ?
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1answer
76 views
Should “noun” be plural here?
Should I use "a noun" or "nouns" in this sentence?
We use any before nouns to refer to indefinite or unknown
quantities or an unlimited entity.
Or:
We use any before a noun to refer to ...
2
votes
1answer
86 views
“the dynamics is” or “the dynamics are”?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, dynamics is a noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction.
A Google search reveals that "the dynamics of * is described" is almost as ...
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0answers
16 views
Plural vs Singular when the number 1 is represented in integer vs decimal form [duplicate]
If I have a noun of cardinality 1, I am taught that I use the singular form.
E.g. I have 1 Apple
If the value is still 1, but represented as 1.0, do I still use the singular form?
E.g. I have 1.0 ...
1
vote
1answer
40 views
Is “you have so many double standards” idiomatic and if not, why and what would be?
The noun double standard is countable. Looking at some ngram you can see the plural form used for titles (to mean something like the topic of...) or when there's a number preceding it (i.e. referring ...
0
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1answer
40 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?
