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Is there a thousand ways? Or are there?
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Is there a thousand ways? Or are there? |
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Local Parasite
since 2001-11-05
Posts 2527Transylconia, Winnipeg 
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This came up in my head, 'cause of a thread by quietlydying in Teen #6, in which she used a line from a song: "There's a thousand ways to sidestep me." She changed it to "There are a thousand ways to sidestep me," claiming it to be more gramatically correct. Looking at it, I was wondering... is the subject "A thousand ways" considered singular or plural? Is the singularity of the thousand what is considered... or the plurality (is that a word?) of "ways?" There just has (have) to be a few people out there who know the answer to this one...! |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
plurality is a word - one of my favorites! 'ways' is the noun being reffered to. thousand is simply a modifier, so isn't reflected by 'is' or 'are.' 'ways' is plural, which would make the final answer be "are."  |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Jen was right... It doesn't even qualify as a collective noun (which can be properly used either way)... |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Some examples, Nan, of collective nouns? |
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Brad Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705Jejudo, South Korea |
family, team, group |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
hmm... i didn't know they could go both ways. the council have the council has i like the first better, but guess i can see how it would work. it can refer to it as a mass of individuals, or as an entity itself. interesting. |
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