[Grammar] Please help me correct this sentence

[emilyjotojot]

"The 16th Asian Games is going to be held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in November the next year"

Thank You..:-(

 

[ha179]

Not a teacher.
The sixteenth Asian Game is going to be held in Guangzhou - a city in southern Chinese - next November.

 

[TheParser]

Gillnet

May I respectfully ask why you allowed the use of "The 16th Asian Games IS...." instead of "are"?

Thank you for clarification.

 

[MASM]

May I respectfully ask why you allowed the use of "The 16th Asian Games IS...." instead of "are"?

Thank you for clarification.

I was wondering the same thing..

 

[Raymott]

It sounds OK to me, but I'll let Gillnetter defend it.

 

[Asterix]

"The sixteenth Asian Games is going to be held in Guangzhou, the southern Chinese city, in November next year."

 

[Asterix]

I just forgot to mention that I am not a teacher. Thank you!

 

[MASM]

The usual rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. In this case, “games” is to be seen as one thing, not a series of events. Another example is, “The United States is going to enact a new law”. While the United States is composed of many states, the United States is understood as a separate entity – it is a singular state.

I've seen "Olympic Games" followed by both is or are (probably referring to a series of events). Would you most commonly use "is" for these nouns or we can use "are" as well and indistinctively?

 

[TheParser]

The usual rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. In this case, “games” is to be seen as one thing, not a series of events. Another example is, “The United States is going to enact a new law”. While the United States is composed of many states, the United States is understood as a separate entity – it is a singular state.

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

(1) Thank you for your thoughtful reply

(2) In fact, it appears that many (most?) Americans did refer to the United States as "ARE" -- until the CIVIL WAR. Even as late as 1895 (30 years after the Civil War), Secretary of State Olney was criticized for still using "are."

(3) As another poster helpfully pointed out, probably most people would definitely say, "The Olympic Games ARE going to be held in London." "IS" would be quite jarring to the ears.

(4) I guess all we can do is to wait until the Asian Games start (starts???). It will be quite instructive to see how the newspapers refer to
them (it???).

And some people say that English is an easy language!!!

Have a nice day!
















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[TheParser]

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

If anyone is still interested in this matter of "is" vs. "are," I have news.

I have been informed by an experienced teacher whose job it is to mark examination papers that the following sentences would be correct:

The Asian Games ARE always held in Asia.
The Asian Games IS an event which is always held in Asia.
The Asian Games HAVE been held 15 times already.
The 16th (of this particular event) IS going to be held in China.

Thank you.

 

[MASM]

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

If anyone is still interested in this matter of "is" vs. "are," I have news.

I have been informed by an experienced teacher whose job it is to mark examination papers that the following sentences would be correct:

The Asian Games ARE always held in Asia.
The Asian Games IS an event which is always held in Asia.
The Asian Games HAVE been held 15 times already.
The 16th (of this particular event) IS going to be held in China.

Thank you.

Thank you! That's very helpful and clear

 

[TheParser]

Thank you! That's very helpful and clear

I thank you for your kind note. It's nice to know that other people are also interested in this matter. (P.S. When the Games start, be sure to see how the newspapers handle the matter.)

 

[MASM]

I thank you for your kind note. It's nice to know that other people are also interested in this matter. (P.S. When the Games start, be sure to see how the newspapers handle the matter.)

I will definitely do that! If you ever need a hand with Spanish, I'll be pleased to help, although as far as I can see, you're already very good! :-D