shvetsov2005
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Posts: 115
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 Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:26 am Post subject: plural |
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Dear Sir or Madam,
I have read the following text:
Obviously, an outgoing and lively personality are prerequisites for this type of work.
Why do they use 'are' and prerequisite is plural?
I tend to think that it should have been singular as the 'personality'.
Alex. |
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dragn
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 450
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| Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
PostPosted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:26 am Post subject: plural
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have read the following text:
Obviously, an outgoing and lively personality are prerequisites for this type of work.
Why do they use 'are' and prerequisite is plural?
I tend to think that it should have been singular as the 'personality'. |
Good catch—you're absolutely right. The text is wrong. It should read is a prerequisite. Only one type of personality is mentioned: one that is outgoing and lively. This is a no-brainer. There is no way to justify using the plural verb here.
If you wanted to use the plural verb, you'd have to say something like this:
Obviously, the qualities of being outgoing and lively are prerequisites for this type of work.
Now we're talking about two different characteristics, not one kind of personality. I can tell you from experience that that's probably what the writer was thinking at the moment he wrote it, but the thoughts he was thinking and the words he was typing got disconnected momentarily. This happens to native speakers all the time...even me. 
Greg |
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