Heard on "History Detectives," a PBS show:
"A small band of armed warriors are in a standoff."
And the grammarians revolt!
"A small band" is the subject, and that is a singular noun (although it refers to a group). Therefore, "is" is the correct verb. If the sentence started "Some armed warriors," "are" would be correct.
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4 comments:
Then does it also mean that this sentence - "A group of people was attacked" and not "A group of people were attacked"? I often find both used. Please advise.
"A group" plus a singular verb is more common in the U.S., but "a group" plus a plural verb is more common in the U.K.
From something I was proofing tonight:
A large portion of my clientele are foreigners.
Singular or plural?? "A portion" certainly sounds singular, but there are plural foreigners.
Westley, I would say a large portion is (note that it's A portion, indicating singular).
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