Most of the class is/are very smart.

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birgit33

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"Most of the class is/are very smart." Are both "is/are" correct in combination with "class"?
 

5jj

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"Most of the class is/are very smart." Are both "is/are" correct in combination with "class"?
I feel that only 'are' is correct.
 

philo2009

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AmE users will probably prefer 'is'. BrE users will settle for either.
 

5jj

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I have just had a look through BNC and COCA. It seems that both singular and plural verb forms are equally common after 'most of + group noun' in both varieties of English, so my feeling (post #2) is clearly only a personal one.
 

spongie

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I think both can be correct.

"Most of the class is very smart" = we refer to the group of smart students as a whole.
"Most of the class are very smart" = we think about each smart student (as individuals).

It just depends on what you are trying to express.
 
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