Singular and plural ... again!

[tom slocombe]

Originally Posted by tom slocombe

No, you have lost sight of the fact that both of Bills original sentences contained the phrase" powers of persuasion " so you have not appreciated the subtlety of his question.
Trying your powers of persuasion is a good idea if you understand the problem

you havn`t responded Davy

Tom

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by tom slocombe

you havn`t responded Davy
Tom

Sorry - was there a question?

[tom slocombe]

Originally Posted by tom slocombe

No, you have lost sight of the fact that both of Bills original sentences contained the phrase" powers of persuasion " so you have not appreciated the subtlety of his question.
Trying your powers of persuasion is a good idea if you understand the problem

Hi, the question is , do you still disagree with our analysis of the referencing illustrated in Nordic Bill`s original sentences.

Tom

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by tom slocombe

Hi, the question is , do you still disagree with our analysis of the referencing illustrated in Nordic Bill`s original sentences.
Tom

Ah. I thought you were just commenting my inability to understand subtlety and my lack of powers of persuasion.

My choice, and of course a lot of these things come down to personal choice, would be that powers of persuasion are plural.

[tom slocombe]

Originally Posted by DavyBCN

Ah. I thought you were just commenting my inability to understand subtlety and my lack of powers of persuasion.
My choice, and of course a lot of these things come down to personal choice, would be that powers of persuasion are plural.

Hi, It isn`t a question of personal choice. Powers of persuasion are indeed plural but in the first sentence-

I tried my powers of persuasion on her but it didn`t work.

The " it " doesn`t refer to powers of persuasion

The "it " refers to -- THE act of trying your powers of persuasion
___________________________________________

I have to make my Cambridge Proficiency students aware of this , because it is sometimes tested in the exam. The Cambridge Examination Board doesn`t regard it as a matter of personal choice.

Tom