"Many cars are equipped with GPS systems."

[Odessa Dawn]

"Many cars are equipped with GPS systems."


According to Wikipedia, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. So, why has systems been used in the given sentence. Isn’t it enough to use GPS and not include the word systems, please? Or having more than GPS, it should be there. Thanks.
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[Gillnetter]

"Many cars are equipped with GPS systems."


According to Wikipedia, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. So, why has systems been used in the given sentence. Isn’t it enough to use GPS and not include the word systems, please? Or having more than GPS, it should be there. Thanks.
​

You could say "a GPS system". There are two other things going on in this sentence. The first is that it is discussing more than one car, so more than one system is referred to as "systems". The second consideration (Note that I am not a technician) is that a modern GPS has more than one system. One system may locate where you are and another system may be used to display that information.

 

[MikeNewYork]

"Many cars are equipped with GPS systems."


According to Wikipedia, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. So, why has systems been used in the given sentence. Isn’t it enough to use GPS and not include the word systems, please? Or having more than GPS, it should be there. Thanks.
​

One could simply say "equipped with GPS" or "a GPS". But this type of redundancy with the last letter of an initialism is not uncommon. One example is "ATM" (automated teller machine) that is often called an "ATM machine".

 

[Yiagos]

I am not a teacher.

Well it is a rendundancy. It is also common in Greek for both GPS and ATM.
As about plural usage, in the given text the subject of sentence is in plural, therefore the object should be in plural too. Indeed, I have read on some local newspapers/magazines expressions such as a GPS system or GPS systems!
With regards to parts, a GPS does not have two or more. A GPS is a device, a quantity. But it is a language forum here; thus I am stopping right now.

 

[Raymott]

Re: I am not a teacher.

As about plural usage, in the given text the subject of sentence is in plural, therefore the object should be in plural too.

Do you mean Mike's suggestion of "Many cars have a GPS" is wrong? If so, I don't agree with you. What you've written is not a rule in English.

 

[Yiagos]

No I don't mean something like this. Actually, a text such as many cars have a GPS that help drivers to travel etc is grammatically correct.
Of course the mention on above, it is not a rule in English either in Greek.
One more example of redundancy (in my native) is the following: Can you repeat this again? Because you speak very fast.

 

[SoothingDave]

I would argue that it is not a redundancy. The GPS "system" is the satellites, etc. that provide the information on a person's location. That is one system, singular.

The electronic box in your car is a system, too. It taps into the GPS to provide you with navigation information. There are many such systems in many cars.

 

[emsr2d2]

And there was me, thinking for the last decade or so that GPS stood for "Global Positioning Satellite".

 

[Raymott]

No I don't mean something like this.

Then I've either missed something, or you're evading my question. I will assume that you've decided not to pursue the assertion you made about plural subjects and objects. Other students should also note that there is no such rule.

 

[emsr2d2]

No I don't mean something like this. Actually, a text such as many cars have a GPS that help drivers to travel etc is grammatically correct.
Of course the mention on above, it is not a rule in English either in Greek.
One more example of redundancy (in my native) is the following: Can you repeat this again? Because you speak very fast.

"Many cars have a GPS that help drivers to travel etc" is a very poor English sentence, not "grammatically correct" as you stated. For a start, it should be "helps" because it refers to "a GPS" (singular). Saying "drivers to travel" is unnatural too. We might say "helps people to drive ..."

"Of course the mention on above" is incorrect English.
"It is not a rule in English either in Greek" is incorrect English.

"(in my native)" should read "(in my native language)".

"Can you repeat this again? Because you speak very fast" is incorrect English. The second part is a fragment, not a complete sentence. You will hear "Please repeat that again?" from a lot of native speakers, grammatically correct or not.

I notice that you have not started your post with "NOT A TEACHER". There are multiple errors in your post and it is unfair on other learners to read your response, thinking that you are advising them correctly when you are not. Please think very carefully before responding to other learners' posts and consider whether or not you are 100% sure of your advice and the accuracy of your English before you do. Add "NOT A TEACHER" at the start of every response.

 

[konungursvia]

We often have the last letter repeated as a whole word with some redundancy, so it is probably generally acceptable when it helps understanding. Some frequent examples here in Canada:

Your social insurance number (SIN), which we often refer to as the SIN number;
A Health Professional Card, also the HPC card;
I've forgotten the third one I had in mind...

 

[emsr2d2]

PIN is the most widely-used tautologous one in the UK.

PIN = Personal Identification Number (the 4-digit number that you use with a Chip & Pin credit/debit card) - frequently referred to as "PIN number".

 

[konungursvia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAS_syndrome