tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post2887008432634904872..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: The Verb agree(s)Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-2199530140301256112008-07-06T12:27:00.000-05:002008-07-06T12:27:00.000-05:00You know, JB, this is a case where the active voic...You know, JB, this is a case where the active voice would be good -- even more positive to the intern.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, Ellen, I can easily get fish and chips as singular. (In my own informal speech, I seem to sometimes have glaringly non-standard agreement, but this doesn't seem like one of those cases.)<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-8173892881984633452008-07-06T11:09:00.000-05:002008-07-06T11:09:00.000-05:00Seems to me that when the list of things is really...Seems to me that when the list of things is really one thing, sometimes "is" applies.<BR/><BR/>Such as, "The fish and chips is really good". Is because one is thinking of the dish "fish and chips". Or, "The bangers and mash is really good". That one I can't even imagine with "are", I think because if I was talking about the separate items, I wouldn't use the words banger or mash.<BR/><BR/>With regards to the example in the question, I can imagine someone seeing those as one thing, but that can't be summed up in one wordd, and so use a singular verb.Ellen Kozisekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16856539181411664278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-87748784249558535832008-07-05T23:27:00.000-05:002008-07-05T23:27:00.000-05:00You could always recast it and avoid that other gr...You could always recast it and avoid that other great prescriptivist bugbear, the passive voice. I think I like "We greatly appreciate your positive attitude, great spirit, and enthusiasm towards your internship" better because you don't have to wait so long for the verb. <BR/><BR/>(Note: I'm not anti-passive in the slightest. I just think this sentence sounds a little better in the active voice.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04323568112711824064noreply@blogger.com