subject verb agreement

[Teia]

Originally Posted by svartnik

Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press
"SLIGHTLY FORMAL A large number of invitations has been sent."
Why is the verb in singular here, then?

Hi again Svartnik

The dictionary tells you that the usage of "a number of" in that context is "slightly formal", not formal.The subject is the word ["workers" in my example] that comes after the determiner "a number of"
I know very well this difference because I myself prepare students for FCE qualification and I have problems in explaining this , every time.

Best wishes

[svartnik]

Hello


"The dictionary tells you that the usage of "a number of" in that context is "slightly formal", not formal."

what do you mean?

BTW, does "slightly formal" not mean "rather formal"; that something is more frequent in formal contexts than in informal ones?

Thank you for your help

[Teia]

Originally Posted by svartnik

Hello
"The dictionary tells you that the usage of "a number of" in that context is "slightly formal", not formal."
what do you mean?
BTW, does "slightly formal" not mean "rather formal"; that something is more frequent in formal contexts than in informal ones?
Thank you for your help

Hi again
You are most welcome.
I must confess that I sometimes make mistakes ,as well ,but I haven`t made any this time. We all are here to learn

Formal English follow rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. The vocabulary tends to be elevated, using big words and avoiding slang .
It avoids split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences. As far as I am concerned I have a tendency to use prepositions at the endof the sentences :

e.g. This is the problem I have to concentrate on .

Using "a number of" + plural verb is more formal than the other usage. It is considered grammatically correct. Grammarians always say that ,when doing a subject-verb agreement exercise ,we have to find out the subject of the sentence. In our case "a number of" cannot be a subject : it is a determiner that determines the subject. Who does the action of the sentence ?The answer should be "workers" .

People often speak of language as being correct or incorrect. It would be more accurate to refer to particular language structures as being formal or informal, appropriate or inappropriate for a specific context. In everyday conversation we do not have to follow the rules of grammar as carefully as we would in a formal address or a business letter or ESL exams and qualifications.
If we adhere too closely to formal rules of grammar in an informal situation, we can come across as being stuffy and unnatural
Formal English follow rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. The vocabulary tends to be elevated, using big words and avoiding slang . It avoids split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences. As far as I am concerned I have a tendency to use prepositions at the endof the sentences :

e.g. This is the problem I have to concentrate on .

Formal written English is a version of the language that is almost universally agreed upon by educated English speakers around the world.

Teia

[svartnik]

Originally Posted by teia_petrescu

Hi again
You are most welcome.
I must confess that I sometimes make mistakes ,as well ,but I haven`t made any this time. We all are here to learn
Formal English follow rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. The vocabulary tends to be elevated, using big words and avoiding slang .
It avoids split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences. As far as I am concerned I have a tendency to use prepositions at the endof the sentences :
e.g. This is the problem I have to concentrate on .
Using "a number of" + plural verb is more formal than the other usage. It is considered grammatically correct. Grammarians always say that ,when doing a subject-verb agreement exercise ,we have to find out the subject of the sentence. In our case "a number of" cannot be a subject : it is a determiner that determines the subject. Who does the action of the sentence ?The answer should be "workers" .
People often speak of language as being correct or incorrect. It would be more accurate to refer to particular language structures as being formal or informal, appropriate or inappropriate for a specific context. In everyday conversation we do not have to follow the rules of grammar as carefully as we would in a formal address or a business letter or ESL exams and qualifications.
If we adhere too closely to formal rules of grammar in an informal situation, we can come across as being stuffy and unnatural
Formal English follow rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. The vocabulary tends to be elevated, using big words and avoiding slang . It avoids split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences. As far as I am concerned I have a tendency to use prepositions at the endof the sentences :
e.g. This is the problem I have to concentrate on .
Formal written English is a version of the language that is almost universally agreed upon by educated English speakers around the world.
Teia

Hello

I have no choice, but to yield to your argument.
Thanks.
BTW, I have been learning English for four years ploughing the lone furrow of my language acquisition.
After 3 years I passed the CAE and now I am preparing for the CPE.
My English is one of my precious stones, however rough and crude it may be.
Thanks for putting some gloss on it.
What does subject mean in grammar, BTW -- I was looking for a def, but found none that was useful to me.

Thanks

Peter

[Teia]

Originally Posted by svartnik

Hello
I have no choice, but to yield to your argument.
Thanks.
BTW, I have been learning English for four years ploughing the lone furrow of my language acquisition.
After 3 years I passed the CAE and now I am preparing for the CPE.
My English is one of my precious stones, however rough and crude it may be.
Thanks for putting some gloss on it.
What does subject mean in grammar, BTW -- I was looking for a def, but found none that was useful to me.
Thanks
Peter

Hi Peter

You are welcome again. I`ll ask for some experts` opinions. They may add more appropriate explanations or help.
I`d like to see Tdol`s opinion on that.
Regards

[svartnik]

Originally Posted by teia_petrescu

Hi Peter
You are welcome again. I`ll ask for some experts` opinions. They may add more appropriate explanations or help.
I`d like to see Tdol`s opinion on that.
Regards

that would be fine

[Tdol]

Singular and plural are a nightmare in English; simply counting things doesn't always explain how things work. Let's take an example:

1 There is/are a man and a woman waiting outside.
2 A man and a woman is/are entering the building.

In both cases, we have two people, but most native speakers would use the singular in the first, while very few would in the second. This usage is generally explained by the proximity of the singular word in the first case. Also, many native speakers will happily say things like 'there's three people outside'. A reason suggested for this, and it is mostly found in colloquial speech, is simply that it's easier to say. So, there are factors other than mathematics at work.

In this particular case, it might be good to compare two structures with 'number:
A number of students have complained.
The number of students is rising.
These are often taught as 'one of those quirks that English has and that examiners love to test', but I think that there is a reason for the use here. In the first, 'a number' is not specific- we don't know how many 'a number' is and don't specify. Therefore, in my opinion, the emphasis is on the students, not the number. In the second, the number, though not given, is specific- this year's enrollments compared to last years, or whatever. Therefore, the emphasis is on the figure, which is why 'the numbers' would take the plural- we are thinking about a figure in a spreadsheet or something, not the students as people. Students are people in the first, but a statistic in the second, and the verb reflects this by taking that part of the numerical subject. I think it is to do with the relative importance of the two nouns in the sentences.

[svartnik]

Originally Posted by Tdol

Singular and plural are a nightmare in English; simply counting things doesn't always explain how things work. Let's take an example:

1 There is/are a man and a woman waiting outside.
2 A man and a woman is/are entering the building.

In both cases, we have two people, but most native speakers would use the singular in the first, while very few would in the second. This usage is generally explained by the proximity of the singular word in the first case. Also, many native speakers will happily say things like 'there's three people outside'. A reason suggested for this, and it is mostly found in colloquial speech, is simply that it's easier to say. So, there are factors other than mathematics at work.

In this particular case, it might be good to compare two structures with 'number:
A number of students have complained.
The number of students is rising.
These are often taught as 'one of those quirks that English has and that examiners love to test', but I think that there is a reason for the use here. In the first, 'a number' is not specific- we don't know how many 'a number' is and don't specify. Therefore, in my opinion, the emphasis is on the students, not the number. In the second, the number, though not given, is specific- this year's enrollments compared to last years, or whatever. Therefore, the emphasis is on the figure, which is why 'the numbers' would take the plural- we are thinking about a figure in a spreadsheet or something, not the students as people. Students are people in the first, but a statistic in the second, and the verb reflects this by taking that part of the numerical subject. I think it is to do with the relative importance of the two nouns in the sentences.

Hi TDOl

So you are beating the drum for notional concord?
Do I make a mistake if I say I will always follow the strict grammatical rules and first a find the subject in the sentence, then adjust the verb form to the number of the subject? (grammatical concord SV agreement)

Thanks