[Grammar] is one of the girls who like/likes

[Oceanlike]

Jenna is one of the girls who likes travelling overseas frequently to see new places.

In the above sentence, I thought the answer should be ‘likes’ (singular verb), but the answer booklet says ‘like’. I feel that the booklet is wrong but seeks your confirmation on it.

Thank you! :-D

 

[Rover_KE]

A case can be made for either version.

 

[engee30]

NOT A TEACHER

I beg to differ on this one.

The subject of the verb 'like' is 'who'. This relative pronoun refers not to one but to 'girls', and so a plural verb should be used, 'Jenna is one of the girls who like travelling...'

 

[tzfujimino]

NOT A TEACHER

I beg to differ on this one.

The subject of the verb 'like' is 'who'. This relative pronoun refers not to one but to 'girls', and so a plural verb should be used, 'Jenna is one of the girls who like travelling...'

I agree, but what if a comma is added?

Jenna is one of the girls, who likes ...

 

[Rover_KE]

Engee wrote

The subject of the verb 'like' is 'who'. This relative pronoun refers not to one but to 'girls', and so a plural verb should be used, 'Jenna is one of the girls who like travelling...'

Some would argue that 'one' is the subject of the verb 'like', so '...one (of the girls) who likes travelling.'

tzfujimino, that's not the point of the question.

 

[gurpreetgill4u]

I am not a teacher.

In my opinion Jenna is one of the girls(not the only girl) who like traveling but she is not the only girl who like to travel overseas.
It is in fact possible, however, for the relative pronouns "which," "who," and "that" to be either singular or plural. They take their number from their antecedent--the words to which they refer. That is, if the antecedent is plural, the pronoun is plural and therefore takes a plural verb. If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun is also singular and thus takes a singular verb.

Consider this example:
Emily picked all of the flowers *that were* growing in the back garden. In this sentence, the antecedent of "that" is "flowers." Since the noun "flowers is plural, the pronoun "that" is plural as well and therefore takes a plural verb.
In a different sentence, the antecedent of "that" could be a singular noun. We could write, for example, "Emily picked the one flower *that was* growing in the back garden."

 

[tzfujimino]

tzfujimino, that's not the point of the question.

Yes, I know, Rover. [STRIKE]However, for the verb to be in the singular, the relative clause needs to be nonrestrictive, in my opinion.[/STRIKE]

 

[tzfujimino]

I've found this:
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/message_board/archive/articles/00352.html

My interpretation of the matter seems to have been wrong. I'll take back what I said in the post above.

 

[engee30]

Some would argue that 'one' is the subject of the verb 'like', so '...one (of the girls) who likes travelling.'

NOT A TEACHER

And the problem arises when you actually leave the bracketed part out:
Jenna is one who likes travelling... (she is one who?)

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Oceanlike:

When I saw your thread title, I immediately chuckled (gently laughed). Your question is asked at all grammar helplines and there is always a vigorous but respectful discussion.

Here is how I see it.

James: Mona is one.
Tony: She is one of what?
James: She is one of the girls.
Tony: One of the girls who do what?
James: One of the girls who think you're cute.
Tony: Really?
James: That's right: Mona is one of the girls who think that you're cute.

The United States is one of the nations that have had more than one capital city.
Are you one of those people who go crazy over soccer [football]?
Ralph is one of the many students who visit usingenglish.com.

After you read all the posts in this thread, it will then be your decision to decide how you will handle this matter when you speak and when you write. (Don't tell anyone, but I hope that you are one of the people who decide to use the plural verb.)

 

[MikeNewYork]

I also very often choose a plural verb when it is directly preceded by a relative clause with a prepositional object that is plural. It has to do with the proximity of the verb to the prepositional object.

 

[Oceanlike]

Awesome! Such clarity in your explanation, TheParser :-D

Absolutely! I'm one of the people who have decided to use the plural verb haahaa...no more confusion now!

Many thanks!