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raewon
Joined: 16 Jun 2009
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 Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:03 am Post subject: grammar question - subject verb agreement |
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I have yet another subject/verb agreement question. Is the usage of "are"
correct in the following sentence? The sentence was taken from the Internet, but it's from a published source.
Likewise, a nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, are going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles.
Thanks for your comments on this one. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:06 am Post subject: |
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| Same as before isn't it? Both are ok |
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raewon
Joined: 16 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:10 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for your reply. I'm not really sure because I can't seem to justify
"are" using grammar rules. The use of "are" sounds OK to my ear, but when I think about subject/verb agreement rules ....I feel it has to be "is". |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:15 am Post subject: |
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The mistake seems to be with using either or not.
AM/ARE/IS going to VERB = future (I am going to go to Europe next week)
In this case we have "Likewise". Likewise, you are going to?
Doesn't make sense to me. "Likewise" is used for routines. Likewise, A does B, not A is going to do B.
So I would say:
"Likewise, a nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles."
It follows the same logic in using plural form "encounter" instead of "encounters". Perhaps, it's technically ok to use either so long as you keep the s for singular and drop it for plural. I prefer to omit the verb -ing part. |
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raewon
Joined: 16 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:24 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for your reply.
Let's drop the "Likewise,". If I understood you correctly, then the following could be OK?
A nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, are going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles.
Are the "are" and "their" supported by grammar rules, or do they mandate "is" and "his"? |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| raewon wrote: |
Thanks for your reply.
Let's drop the "Likewise,". If I understood you correctly, then the following could be OK?
A nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, are going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles.
Are the "are" and "their" supported by grammar rules, or do they mandate "is" and "his"? |
I would say is because it says A nurse or doctor ...
If it was re-phrased nurses or doctors then it would be are
the their issue. Isn't that just because they is often used instead of he/she |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:09 am Post subject: |
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Ok, but now you aren't comparing.
"Likewise" assumes you are comparing something with something else. Technically, it would be correct. However, I personally would drop the VERB -ing parts. |
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alljokingaside
Joined: 17 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 7:37 am Post subject: Re: grammar question - subject verb agreement |
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| raewon wrote: |
I have yet another subject/verb agreement question. Is the usage of "are"
correct in the following sentence? The sentence was taken from the Internet, but it's from a published source.
Likewise, a nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, are going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles.
Thanks for your comments on this one. |
Should be "are"
Though "or" is employed by the state, the subjects aren't used simply to substitute each other; it isn't a either/or proposition. The nurse/doc/fanboys are examples from the category of "people who will be misunderstood." aka "They"
Also, the "their" in the prepositional phrase is a clue; try substituting that for a singular. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:08 am Post subject: Re: grammar question - subject verb agreement |
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| raewon wrote: |
I have yet another subject/verb agreement question. Is the usage of "are"
correct in the following sentence? The sentence was taken from the Internet, but it's from a published source.
Likewise, a nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, are going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside their professional circles.
Thanks for your comments on this one. |
...is/ are seems an awkward construction in both cases, as it allows for more than one interpretation...which may well be the intent of that construction.
Instead of 'are going to"
use...will encounter
The confusion ceases. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 11:21 am Post subject: |
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Correct sentence:
| Quote: |
| Likewise, a nurse or doctor who uses medical jargon, or a heavy metal fan who uses rock music slang, is going to encounter incomprehension when communicating with people outside his or her professional circle. |
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