|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > half of the people is/are...?
half of the people is/are...?
|
ajwon
|
half of the people is/are...?
|
|
Recently, I �ve had a problem at the lesson. How would you say: half of the people is... or half of the people are.... ? Thanks in advance for your answers. |
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apodo
|
|
I would use:
Half of the people are
Half of the population is
I can �t think of a single example where I would use half of the people is.
|
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
ajwon
|
|
I know that �the large number of people is �... is the correct answer /as in the previous post/ but I asked my ex-teacher from university about �half of the people... � and he said: �half of the people are � but it seems strange to me, that �s why I �m asking :) |
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
Zora
|
"the large number of people is" - I would say is wrong... For two reasons...
It should be "A" - A large number of people... and "are" not "is"....
"A large number of people are..." is the correct form of the sentence...
|
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
anitarobi
|
|
I �d say HALF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE... because people is only singular if it refers to a nation, not persons(and in your phrase it refers to your students, so persons)... and I �d drop the �of �... but let �s hear from some more people... |
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
mjotab
|
Look at this thread (I couln´t post the link because it did not work), about fractions being "number transparent"
Fractions and percentages are "number transparent". That is, when
they are used as the subject of a sentence, the noun in the following
"of" phrase determines the agreement with the verb.
A third of the tables are unoccupied.
Two thirds of the tables are unoccupied.
A third of the sugar is missing.
Two thirds of the sugar is missing.
Fifty percent of the managers were fired within one year.
Fifty percent of the money was destroyed in the fire.
If there is no "of" phrase, something else in the context should be used to make the determination.
If speaking of people (plural):
[One fifth / Twenty percent] have been notified. (of the people implied. The agreement is with people, not with either one (fifth) or twenty (percent)).
I didn �t know about that, I �m learning a lot here!
|
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
|
|
pauguzman
|
|
I asked to my Grammar teacher about this problem that generated too many discussions, and he clarified this.
THERE IS A BOOK ON THE TABLE
existencial verb determiner +subject complement
there that SING. NOUN
agrees with the subject
so, according to this analisys
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
verb determiner subject
in plural (quantifier)
since people is plural
QUANTIFIERS WHICH ALWAYS TAKE "OF" BEFORE NOUNS
A COUPLE OF
DOZENS OF
HUNDREDS OF
THE MAYORITY OF PEOPLE/ BOOKS
A MINORITY OF
A NUMBER OF
HALF OF
Hope this clarifies our questions, PAULA |
13 Jun 2009
|
|
|
ajwon, there a very similar post just a few posts below, about "a large number of people", I think your question might generate at least a half of the large number of discussions and interesting opinions of that one...
