This tag applies to questions that deal with grammatical number: “singular” versus “plural”, and (rarely) also “dual”.
-1
votes
0answers
17 views
Million people OR million of people OR million & Singular or Plural
So far, I've learned:
1) A number of internet users were in Paris.
2) The number of internet users was in Paris.
1) and 2) are grammatically correct.
But I'm not sure about:
<Number&...
6
votes
1answer
301 views
What is the plural of “detective sergeant”?
What is the plural of "detective sergeant". In an episode of Endeavour, Series 5, episode 4, Superintendent Bright used "detectives sergeant" but this seems wrong, you wouldn't say "chiefs inspector" ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Is this sentence grammatically correct? If so, is it a good way to express it?
Below is an excerpt from a book.
I’m a man who loves traveling by myself. On every vacation in university, I spent about 7 to 10 days as a backpacker, traveling around China. Since it was self-...
0
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0answers
15 views
Plurals Is vs are [on hold]
Is it correct to say: there is answers. I thought it sounded incorrect but it was on a current affair show
0
votes
1answer
29 views
The solution/solutions of Cases I and II is/are
Which one of the following sentences is correct?
The solution of Cases I and II is ...
The solutions of Cases I and II are ...
Actually, I want to know whether we have to use a plural noun or a ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
children as adjective as opposed to child
In computer science we talk about binary trees as connections of nodes which of which have either zero or exactly two children. Furthermore we talk about "the parent node of a child", "the left child ...
0
votes
2answers
33 views
Is “the meaning of these signs” a singular or plural? [on hold]
Which of these sentences is correct?
"The meaning of these signs are well-understood."
"The meaning of these signs is well-understood."
0
votes
0answers
18 views
Is it ok to say: Peter and John “agree”? [migrated]
If I say Peter "agrees", I think that the verb agrees must have the "s" at the end because Peter is a third person.
On the other hand, if I say Peter and John "agrees", it is wrong, because there are ...
2
votes
2answers
64 views
Difference between “Do you like latte?” and “Do you like lattes?”?
I was having this debate with a friend. She would ask “do you like latte?” When asking me if I liked the drink latte. I explained it would be “do you like lattes?”. However, she then asked “how come ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Axis in plural form
How will be axis (I'm not about the Third Reich and their allies) in plural form? Google translator says it will be axes, but I'm not sure this is right.
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Using plural verb with plural word in different language
If subject of an English sentence is a foreign word (eg. name) which is regarded as plural in that foreign language, is it completely incorrect to use plural verb when talking about the thing this ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
The fleet of vehicles is controlled by GPRS. Is or are?
"The fleet of vehicles is controlled by GPRS." is or are ? Which is correct?
0
votes
0answers
9 views
How do you refer to plural nouns? [migrated]
I'm wondering how I can refer to a plural noun in the following sentence.
I lost my glasses. I need to get one.
(Talking about a single pair of glasses)
Since "glasses" is plural, I assume one ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
How do we say the name of a people plurally? [migrated]
I am writing an essay and I came across an event to describe in which I have to name the whole population of Spain doing something. Do I say"the Spanishes" or "the Spanish"?
0
votes
1answer
37 views
{This/that vs. these/those} + many + plural noun
From pag 419 of Mastering English An Advanced Grammar for Non-native and Native Speakers:
Elsewhere, demonstratives normally serve as determiners (as in that exact moment, this way, etc.). BUT in ...
0
votes
1answer
15 views
Should I use “a reduction” or “reductions”?
Please help me to revise this sentence.
This technique could provide a reduction of 3%, 2% and 1% for X, Y and Z, respectively.
Should I use "a reduction" or "reductions"?
Thank you very much.
0
votes
0answers
18 views
Use of a plural noun as an adjective.
We say the school of official languages, namely 2 (Fr/En)
However, if we turn the structure around, should we write
- Official languages school or
- Official language school?
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Should I use “is” or “are” in relation to “a ton?” [closed]
Which is more correct? There are a ton of jobs on the company's website...OR...There is a ton of jobs on the company's website? Thanks!
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Manager news or manager's news
I am setting a label for news only visible to managers.
The two suggestions I have for phrasing is
Manager news
Manager's news
The second one feels intuitively wrong, but I googled a bit and found ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Plural or singular after Person A and his friends
Consider these sentences:
"Harry(,) and his friends Ron and Hermione(,) face new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts."
"Harry, along with his friends Ron and Hermione, faces new ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
whose singular or plural [migrated]
I’ve just read this sentence;
„The one whose photos gets picked should quit“.
but I don’t understand, why the verb is in the singular, altough it refers to „photos“.
0
votes
1answer
44 views
“the art and animation is” or “the art and animation are” [duplicate]
I'm unsure whether I should use "are" or "is" in the following sentence:
"The art and animation in particular are incredible."
or
"The art and animation in particular is incredible."
I'm sort of ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
Why is it carriage and pair when you have 2 horses
The correct (UK) English usage is "horse and carriage", "pony and trap", etc., when you have 1 horse, "carriage and pair" for 2 or "coach and horses" for more.
I am wondering why the coach or ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
What is the plural of callback? [closed]
My particular context is programming and a callback arises when you pass a thing to a service so that it can call you back with some information using that thing. So callback is a compound of call and ...
7
votes
4answers
752 views
Can you say “The NOₓ are”?
Wikipedia says
[...] Within the SCR catalyst, the NOx are catalytically reduced by the ammonia [...]
NO2 is nitrogen dioxide, which is singular. x can take any one of a range of values, so NOx ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Sentence starting with a number
71 people were rescued from the sinking ferry by the Latvian helicopter crew.
(This is not wrong, but it is untidy.)
The Latvian helicopter crew rescued 71 people from the sinking ferry.
(This re-...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
Can “Book” be used in the singular for a multi-volume edition?
We are currently having a discussion on Sci.SE whether "Magical Me" in Harry Potter is a multivolume set or a distinct volume. Much of the discussion hinges on whether "book" can be used for ...
1
vote
0answers
23 views
Type of clause question ?
No matter what they say about him, it's false.
introductory phrase followed by comma and it's false.
So is the whole sentence acting as the main clause in these constructions ? It's false can't ...
-3
votes
1answer
48 views
How should I use percentage?
I am totally confused as to the right use of "percentage"! I have seen certain of the following in various texts, I do not know whichever I can safely use in my own text, though.
Which of the ...
2
votes
2answers
172 views
many plural words in a sentence
Consider these sentences:
I created an implementation of a semaphore in terms of a mutex.
This is very easy to interpret. The author created a thing called semaphore in terms of one other thing, a ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
is/are one of something and another of something
I'm having a computer speak the following sentence and fill in the data.
At UMD COLLEGE PARK UNION LANE, there (is/are) 1 level 2, and 1 level 1 spot(s) available.
The ones (before each level) can ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Plural noun or singular noun + possessive
When the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868 —150 years ago this Monday — it closed the door on schemes that aimed to make the U.S. a white man’s country. (source)
I ...
2
votes
2answers
68 views
Where to put apostrophe after “their” when referring to plural noun? [duplicate]
Which one is correct? I'm not sure where to put the apostrophe on "phones":
This software allows iphone users to remotely access their phone's settings.
vs
This software allows iphone users to ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
What is the pluralisation of “hyphen-minus”, and what's the rationale for it?
If I pluralise hyphen-minus, is it "hyphens-minus" (like "attorneys-general"), or "hyphen-minuses", and if it's the latter, why is it different from the pluralisation of "attorney-general"?
...
0
votes
2answers
57 views
Which one is correct to say 3 in 1 celebration or 3 in 1 celebrations
I'm making one tarpaulin for my mom, dad and brother and we don’t know which one is correct to say:
three-in-one celebrations
a three-in-one celebration
In other words, is three-in-one celebration(...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Should noun be singular or plural in a phrase like “… one (if not many) [noun]” [duplicate]
Consider the phrase:
You have come one (if not many) times to my house ...
I am not sure if the noun "times" should be plural or not. It sounds better with plural, but this answer states that ...
1
vote
2answers
41 views
Should “megafauna” take a plural verb or a singular one?
I know megafauna is not a very common word, while fauna is more so. Fauna is singular, defined as a group of animals. ex. "The African fauna is diverse".
Megafauna is the word defining all animals ...
2
votes
1answer
554 views
“in efforts to” vs “in an effort to”
Is efforts being used properly in this sentence because we are promoting multiple efforts?
In efforts to promote our products, we are providing a website and flyers for your use.
Or should it be:
...
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Should “is” or “are” be used in this sentence? [duplicate]
"One example I can think of is the expiration labels on food."
It seems like you should say "is" because "example" is a singular noun, but the sentence sounds weird to me for some reason. Maybe "the" ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
The omission of articles before the last two nouns in 'There is a missing bridge between business and technology'
I came across the following sentence in an article:
"There is a missing bridge between business and technology"
To the best of my understanding when a noun is used, it should have an article (a, ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
David’s friendly demeanour, brilliant sense of humour and warmth, “make” or “makes” you feel right at home. [duplicate]
Should I use make or makes in the following sentence?
David’s friendly demeanour, brilliant sense of humour and warmth, make you feel right at home.
I say make, but my friend says makes.
3
votes
1answer
66 views
Is “workload” ever a countable noun? Can it also be uncountable?
Here are two sentences which have almost the same meaning that I have found in two different dictionaries:
Teachers are always complaining about their heavy workloads. (Cambridge Dictionary)
Students ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Skies or sky in contemporary poetry [duplicate]
Dear Learned Grammarians,
I am reveiwing a poem of mine in which I describe a plane death spiralling from the skies. While I realise that in every day language and conversation I would most likely ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
use “they” to refer one thing [duplicate]
As you see in this example of online Cambridge dictionary,"they" is used to refer "a porsche". How can it possible?
0
votes
1answer
35 views
Is it possible to have a plural subject be a singular thing?
Here's a sentence I don't particularly understand.
"Necessary goods such as food also had to be shipped in order to meet the dietary needs of a consolidated population."
Wouldn't it have to be ...
1
vote
0answers
51 views
Why does “zero of one qualifications” sound better than “zero of one qualification” even though you only have one qualification? [closed]
Of the two phrases:
zero of one qualification
zero of one qualifications
Because one is singular, it should be qualification without the plural suffix ‑s. But for reasons I cannot explain, to me ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Plural of “McFly” [duplicate]
What is correct?
McFlys
McFly's
McFlies
McFly family
The latter is valid for my case, but what if I'm referring to all people named McFly?
2
votes
2answers
173 views
“Numbers” or “number?” Which sentence is correct?
Which sentence is correct? Why?
In 2000, the number of Vietnamese students studied in Russia and France was around 3 million and 3.5 million respectively.
In 2000, the numbers of Vietnamese students ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
A total of 80 marks “is” or “are” also available [duplicate]
A total of 80 marks is also available.
A total of 80 marks are also available.
Which is correct, please: 1, 2, or both?
1
vote
1answer
113 views
In my house, “there were” or “there was” many toys
Which of the following is correct and why:
1) In my house, there were many toys.
2) In my house, there was many toys.
An answer with an explanation would be greatly appreciated.
