| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | A minority of smth. - plural or singular? Thread poster: pashtet
|
|---|
pashtet
United States
Local time: 08:11
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Binnur Tuncel van Pomeren wrote:
So, I would suggest a minority of cats dislikes for the same reason...
Hmm, I am not sure this is the only correct way of saying it. I tend to follow this rule of thumb: minority / majority of + uncountable noun = singular verb, а minority / majority of + countable noun = singular/plural verb
So I am inclined to think that both "dislike" and "dislikes" may be used with "a minority of cats". I wish someone could provide a link to this rule in a good English grammar...
| | | | pashtet
United States
Local time: 08:11
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Countables/uncountables after "a minority/majority of" | Oct 11, 2007 |
Thank you for this info, but unfortunately it deals only with countable nouns
| | | | mjbjosh
Local time: 14:11
English to Latvian
+ ...
| It is different | Oct 11, 2007 |
It seems, there are even differences between the British and the American English.
In British English, it is generally accepted that collective nouns can take either singular or plural verb forms depending on the context and the metonymic shift that it implies. For example, "the team is in the dressing room" (formal agreement) refers to the team as an ensemble, whilst "the team are fighting among themselves" (notional agreement) refers to the team as individuals.
In American English, collective nouns usually take singular verb forms (formal agreement). In cases where a metonymic shift would be otherwise revealed nearby, the whole sentence may be recast to avoid the metonymy. (For example, "the team are fighting among themselves" may become "the team members are fighting among themselves" or "the team is fighting [period]".)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_noun
And then, the use of singular/plural even depends on the article.
Some collectives, like "number" and "majority," can be singular or plural depending on the article used:
The number of guests is smaller this year.
A number of guests are from Germany.
A majority of voters support Jones.
The majority of voters supports Jones.
Source: http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/english/2005/01/minority_singul.html
I suppose you first have to decide which tradition to follow. If you choose the American one, below is a good article on the subject and verb agreement from The American Heritage Book of English Usage.
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/060.html#SUBJECTANDV1
| | | | | The second instance in this sentence is wrong | Oct 11, 2007 |
Most certainly it is singular! It can be nothing else!
Astrid
| | |
|
|
|
Marcelo Silveyra
United States
Local time: 05:11
Member (2007)
German to English
+ ...
Astrid Elke Johnson wrote:
Most certainly it is singular! It can be nothing else!
Astrid
Sorry if I'm missing something obvious here, but which sentence? (There's a bunch of them.)
| | | | | Taken from www.pearson.longman.com | Jun 2, 2008 |
The American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin, 1996) says that when majority “refers to a group of persons or things…, it may take a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is considered as a whole, or as a set of people considered individually.” So we say: “The majority elects (not elect) the candidate” because the election is accomplished by the group as a whole. But we say, “The majority of voters live (not lives) in the city,” because living in the city is ... See more The American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin, 1996) says that when majority “refers to a group of persons or things…, it may take a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is considered as a whole, or as a set of people considered individually.” So we say: “The majority elects (not elect) the candidate” because the election is accomplished by the group as a whole. But we say, “The majority of voters live (not lives) in the city,” because living in the city is something that each voter does individually.
Celce-Murcia and Larson-Freeman (The Grammar Book, Heinle & Heinle, 1999) cite Fowler (A Dictionary of Modern English Usage), reporting that the nouns majority and minority are variously described as singular, plural, or collective, depending on which reference grammar one consults:
Fowler describes three related but slightly different meanings:
An abstract or generic meaning, referring to superiority of numbers, with a singular verb, as in “The great majority is helpless.”
A specific meaning where one of two or more sets has a numerical plurality, with a singular or plural verb, as in, “The majority was/were determined to press its/their victory.”
A specific meaning where "most" is referred to (where the word most can be substituted), with a plural verb, as in “The majority of my friends advise it.”
Celce-Murcia and Larson-Freeman cite another study in which there was no clear preference for the singular or plural verb. These sentences were used:
“A majority of votes _______ needed to win.”: 81% of the people questioned chose is, and 19% chose are.
“The majority of Democrats _______ opposed to local blackouts….”: 80% chose are; 20% chose is.
Huddleston and Pullum in The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Cambridge University Press, 2002) state that majority and minority are similar to other collective nouns such as bunch, group, and number that occur with "of"; in expressions like these, the verb depends on the concept of singular or plural of the count noun following:
(a) A bunch of flowers was presented to the teacher. (One bouquet; flowers gathered together into one unit)
(b) A bunch of hooligans were seen leaving the premises. (Several hooligans; individual bad young guys)
(c) The majority of her friends are Irish.
So, when your concept is clearly singular, like "a bunch of flowers" in (a), use a singular verb, like this:
(d) The majority of senators is voting with the president.
(e) There is still a minority of women in the profession.
When your concept is clearly plural, like "a bunch of hooligans" in
(f) The majority of voters don't want war.
(g) If the minority of parents who are really upset by the school board's decision raise enough objections, they could very well cause a change in the school's policy.
Hope it helps. Have a nice working week! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » A minority of smth. - plural or singular? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
