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Learner33
Joined: 30 Oct 2005
Posts: 17
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 Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:07 pm Post subject: verbs after handful? |
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Hello,
What kind of verb do we use after the following expressions: (a handful of+plural verb) and (a shoal /school of fish) for example:
1.A handful of students (is/are) waiting outside.
2.A shoal of fish (is/are) swimming around me.
Which is the real subject (A handful) or (students)? (A shoal) or (fish)?  |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: verbs after handful? |
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| Quote: |
What kind of verb do we use after the following expressions: (a handful of+plural verb) and (a shoal /school of fish) for example:
1.A handful of students (is/are) waiting outside.
2.A shoal of fish (is/are) swimming around me. |
In Sentence 1, the subject is a handful of students. The simple subject is the plural noun students and takes the plural auxiliary verb are. Here a handful of means "a few".
In Sentence 2, the subject is a shoal of fish. The simple subject is the collective noun shoal (meaning a large number of fish swimming as a group) and takes the singular auxiliary verb is.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: verbs after handful? |
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I have to take back what I said regarding Sentence 2.
While collective nouns meaning "the group taken as a whole" normally takes a singular verb, "a group of fish is swimming" just doesn't sound right.. So the plural verb is better, I think.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: verbs after handful? |
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Please ignore my second post. I wasn't thinking clearly when I posted it.
Sentence 2 is an example of subject-verb agreement with collective nouns. As the simple subject shoal means "a large number of fish swimming as a group", it takes the singular auxiliary verb is.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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