Comments | grammargasm: subject/verb agreement

rubicat in grammargasm

subject/verb agreement

Jul 19, 2009 21:20

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Comments 7

michelel72 July 20 2009, 01:33:59 UTC

The subject is a lot, but the verb agreement depends on your usage of lot. If it's a single package, shipping run, or other division of goods, it takes a singular verb; if it's just a generic plural count, it takes a plural verb. You probably want the latter.

A lot of Factor VIII contains (number) units.

A lot of people go to college.

ETA: The link you added reminds me that I left out one option. If "a lot" is a generic collective count of discrete items, it's plural. A lot of things annoy me. If it's a generic collective count of non-discrete content, it's singular. A lot of noise is coming out of your room, young lady.

rubicat July 20 2009, 01:37:49 UTC

So what is "of things," then? If not part of the subject, what is "of things"?

And yes, I was referring to the plural count, so.... yes. :)

I am confused by the nomenclature of subjects, compound nouns, compound subjects, what-have-you. I used to be more adept at articulating grammar, but now: meh! :(

michelel72 July 20 2009, 01:57:55 UTC

It's a prepositional phrase, and it characterizes the subject, but it is not itself the subject. Kinda. The way we diagrammed in school, you'd have a horizontal line with "lot" on the left, a vertical bar dividing the line, and the verb on the right. Then you'd have the "a" on a little branch hanging down below "lot", the "of" on a little branch hanging down below "lot", and the "things" on a little horizontal extension of the "of" branch. I started to draw a picture here but remembered I don't know how to force spacing and fixed fonts, so never mind that.

I'm probably just as rusty! ::yields to anyone who knows the proper terminology better::

lapinguina July 20 2009, 02:30:12 UTC

I think it's the same mass noun vs. count noun situation that divides "less" and "fewer". If you'd use "less X", then it's "a lot of X IS"; if you'd use "fewer Y", then it's "a lot of Y ARE".

lapinguina July 20 2009, 02:31:34 UTC

as in, like... "he has less milk, but she has fewer cookies. there IS a lot of milk, but there ARE a lot of cookies."

graycie23 July 20 2009, 02:37:30 UTC

Hrm. Until you brought this up, I would have never looked at that sentence and thought about lots. As in, this lot of things is very large. So thanks for that, at least.

=)

ferriludant July 20 2009, 14:02:34 UTC

Yes to all of the above commenters. It's exactly like: "Your group of friends are grammar-challenged".

See, saying "Your group of friends is grammar-challenged"? That would just be ironic.