adding -s

[jack]

Are these correct? What do these mean?

1. Those are fireworks sounds. (Is this correct? 'fireworks' is an adjective so 'fireworks' is wrong? b/c adjectives don't take -ed or -s? eg. what kind of sound? Firework sound. )
2. Those are firework sounds. (What is the subject and verb? If this is incorrect, why?)

3. All you need to have is some supervising skill. (Is this correct? 'some' is plural and 'skill' is singular?)
4. All you need to have are some supervising skills. (What is the subect and verb? This sentence sounds kind of odd?)

What do these mean?
5. Use 'it is' for statements.
6. Use 'it is' for a satement.

7. A type of star that leaves a trail of sparks as it flies through the air.
8. A type of star that leaves a trail of spark as it flies through the air.

[Mister Micawber]

Hi Jack.

(1) is much more acceptable. 'Fireworks' is a display, and although the singular exists, it is seldom used. A noun used as an adjective is normally put into the singular, but here, because of the singular idea of the display, the uncommonness of this particular singular, and the fact that the sound is emitted from the display and not a single firework, the plural is more appropriate.

(2) Grammatically correct but not idiomatic. The subject is 'those', the verb is 'are'.

(3) Correct. 'Some ' is not a plural pronoun, it is a determiner for the singular 'skill'.

(4) Correct and not odd at all. The subject is 'you', and the verb is 'need'.

(5) and (6) have the same meaning: use the phrase 'it is' for declarative sentences like 'it is cold in here'. In contrast, perhaps, to 'is it', which is used in questions: 'is it cold in here?'

(7) is correct; (8) is not. One spark cannot leave a trail, which is a series (of burning particles, in this instance).

[jack]

(3) Correct. 'Some ' is not a plural pronoun, it is a determiner for the singular 'skill'.

How is it a determiner? What does it determine? 'Some' Is not plural? What's 'some' then? Is it an unknown amount of 'skills' or 'skill'?
3. All you need to have is some supervising skill. (Is this correct?

Correct and not odd at all. The subject is 'you', and the verb is 'need'

4. All you need to have are some supervising skills. (How can I delete some words to figure out the subject and verb? Is 'are' the secondary verb? And 'supervising skills' is the secondary subject?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

How is it a determiner? What does it determine? 'Some' Is not plural? What's 'some' then? Is it an unknown amount of 'skills' or 'skill'?

'some' is a quantifier, and it modifies plural nouns e.g., some books. some shoes, some fish, I have some skills.

Originally Posted by jack

4. All you need to have are some supervising skills. (How can I delete some words to figure out the subject and verb?

All you need are skills.

Change the sentence around. The subject is underlined; the verb is in blue:

Skills are all you need to have (in order to get the job).
(In order to get the job,) all you need to have are skills.
All you need to have (in order to get the job) are skills.
All you need are skills.

[Mister Micawber]

'Some' is the general assertive determiner for uncountable and plural nouns. 'I bought some apples and some sugar.' (If you like, you can also think of it as the plural indefinite article, but only when it is used with plural nouns.)


'I have some skill' means that I have an unspecified quantity of 'skill' as an uncountable quality.

'I have some skills' means that you have an unspecified number of the total countable 'skills'.


I made a mistake with subject and verb in sentence (4): 'All (that) you need to have are some supervising skills'-- the subject is 'all' and the verb is 'are'. My apologies. The dependent clause '(that) you need to have' can be extracted to leave 'all' (S), 'are' (V), 'supervisory skills' (Noun Complement).

PS: Oh, hi Cassy-- long time no see.

[jack]

Thanks.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Mister Micawber

PS: Oh, hi Cassy-- long time no see.

Hi
Nice to see you around.

[jack]

What do these mean?
1. You need to do some killing in this game. (So this 'killing' is uncountable? What is the use of that?)
2. You need to do some killings in this game.

3. I smell gas.
4. I smell the gas.
5. I smell a gas.
6. I smell gases.

[Casiopea]

1. You need to do some killing in this game. (noun, singular, expresses an act)
2. You need to do some killings in this game. (noun, plural, expresses more than one act)
3. I smell gas. (OK)
4. I smell the gas. (OK, specific; known to the speaker and listener)
5. I smell a gas. (Not OK. 'gas', like 'water' is a mass noun, non-count)
6. I smell gases. (OK, when you want to express different types of gas)

[jack]

1. You need to do some killing in this game. (noun, singular, expresses an act)
2. You need to do some killings in this game. (noun, plural, expresses more than one act)

'Some' is plural? Why isn't 'killings' plural? So 'some killing' means one kill or many kills?

What does 'some killings' mean? Does it mean many kills too? I don't see the difference in meaning. Can you tell me it? Thanks. I just know one is plural and the other one is singular.

What do these mean?
3.There is not tax on food. (In general?)
4.There is not tax on foods. (specific foods?)

5. What types of food do you like?
6. What types of foods do you like?

Are these correct? What do these mean?
7. They are couples.

8. They are couple.. (This sounds incorrect to me. Doesn't 'couple' mean 'pair' so why does it need to be 'couples'?

What are the subject and verb for this sentence?
9. There are many reasons but I'm going to talk about the forth that matter.(Why isn't 'matter' plural?)