Verb agreement with partitive constructions #87
Description
There is some disagreement on the proper verb agreement for constructions of the sort "an X of Ys IS/ARE".
If X is a common noun, then the whole NP is singular. Example: A carton of eggs was sitting on the counter. But if X is a partitive element, then the NP is the same as the following noun (plural if that is plural). Examples: A lot of energy IS, a lot of people ARE, lots of money IS, lots of classes ARE, a bunch of kids ARE (but: a bunch of bananas IS--nonpartitive meaning).
Words like "group", which are practically semantically empty, are better seen as partitives. So, to correct constructions like your first example: A variety of remedies ARE available to treat that condition.
Document Details
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- ID: e98fcd08-8edf-0a1d-2a62-6d827bc327b9
- Version Independent ID: d1ca993e-79e8-5373-44f4-c7390a736bfe
- Content: Verbs - Microsoft Style Guide
- Content Source: styleguide/grammar/verbs.md
- Product: non-product-specific
- GitHub Login: @pallep
- Microsoft Alias: pallep