50 percent is/are

[palinkasocsi]

Dear Friends,

Which is correct:

50 percent of the people is/are ... . If both, what is the difference?

Thanks a lot.

Palinkaocsi

[tareq10]

Dear Friends,

Which is correct:

50 percent of the people is/are ... . If both, what is the difference?

Thanks a lot.

Palinkaocsi

What are 'the 50 percent of the people' doing?

Possibly, 'Are' is the correct choice.

Some/All/Many people are.

[jirikoo]

What are 'the 50 percent of the people' doing?

Possibly, 'Are' is the correct choice.

Some/All/Many people are.

percent is so called "collective noun" or in some lexicons ("group noun") so both versions are OK

[tareq10]

percent is so called "collective noun" or in some lexicons ("group noun") so both versions are OK

Is the word 'people' similar to 'family'? Since we can say:

My family are / is going in a journey.

[jirikoo]

Is the word 'people' similar to 'family'? Since we can say:

My family are / is going in a journey.

family is basically a collective noun
people is not - its already a "plural noun" thus a noun that occurs only in a plural forms: "People are rude."

Google for a collective noun definition. Here's one: Collective noun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia