Posts filed under 'noun-verb agreement'
August 11th, 2009
Some word people consider the use of “here” or “there” at the beginning of a sentence to be weak writing. There’s some truth to that, but I don’t like outright bans when it comes to language.
Here’s a bigger problem with “here’s” or “there’s”: Whether at the start of a sentence or later, it’s often followed by a plural noun. Here’s an example:
“There’s many reasons the players from the 2008 Olympic basketball team may return in 2012.”
This says, “There is many reasons.” No, there isn’t — there “are” many reasons.
Wherever you use the contracted forms of “here is” and “there is,” be sure what follows is singular. Otherwise, you need “here are” or “there are” — or maybe you should rewrite so that the verb is no longer inverted.
Beginning a sentence with “here’s” or “there’s” isn’t a grammatical sin, but treating either as plural is.
June 26th, 2008
One of the simpler concepts in subject-verb agreement is that a compound subject (that is, more than one thing connected with an “and”) requires a plural verb. And yet, consider the following:
“The state’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure has been suffering because of it.”
The word “has” should be “have.”
Two things to watch for;
If the subject contains “and,” it usually needs a plural verb.
Don’t be fooled when the last item in a compound subject is singular, as in the example above. Even though the verb is closest to that word, the subject is the whole thing and still needs a plural verb: “roads, bridges and other infrastructure have,” not “infrastructure has.”
May 12th, 2008
The more varied and crowded the media field gets, the more some people want to lump us together. So far, those arguing for “media” as a collective noun and therefore singular are in the minority, but the ranks are growing.
The Register Star follows Associated Press style: “Media” is plural. Many dictionaries, usage guides and other stylebooks agree.
There was a time when journalists were referred to as “the press,” no matter what medium was used to disseminate their information. Nowadays, those who don’t use a printing press often prefer “media.” Related terms still seem to be OK, though: press agent, press secretary, the pressroom in the White House and press conference.
By the way, the AP prefers “news conference” for that last one, even though the news value of a “press conference” can be questionable. No matter what it’s called, all the media show up.
May 6th, 2008
The word “data” is a plural (the singular is “datum”) in Latin, but the tide is turning in English.
There are still plenty of instances in which we treat “data” as plural — “the most recent data show,” for example.
However, its treatment as a collective noun is on the rise — “The data in this study is flawed.”
The use of “datum” is almost unheard of these days, except in scientific circles. The simplest solution is to substitute “information” for “data” when a singular sense is desired.
