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shoaib 1

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Jul 20, 2010
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English Teacher
Hi dear Teachers,
What is difference between "the majority of people" and "a majority of people" in terms of singular and plural?


THANKS
 

lauralie2

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Dec 20, 2009
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Retired English Teacher
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English
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Canada
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China
Hi dear Teachers,
What is difference between "the majority of people" and "a majority of people" in terms of singular and plural?
There's this advice here, but you'll need a PhD in Rhetoric to apply the rules, and then there's this quick 'n easy guide from MT State University:

The words "number," "variety" and "majority" can be singular or plural, depending on whether they're preceded by "a" or "the."


  • A number are, but the number is.
  • A variety are, but the variety is.
  • A majority are, but the majority is.
But it doesn't tell us why "a majority" always takes a plural verb, and that bugs me. I'd like to know. And, finally, there's this very insightful, yet not very helpful article.
 
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