SV Agreement; Collective Nouns, Amounts, and Numbers of

(I hope that this will clarify things regarding the right agreement to use)

Collective nouns denote a group of people or things;  like choir, family, herd, team, majority, etc.  And even though it suggests more than one person or thing it can be singular or plural depending on how it’s used in a sentence.  And that’s where it gets tricky.

The verb has to be singular if the collective noun is referring to a group or unit.  The verb has to be plural if the collective noun is referring to individuals.

Examples:
The class is in session. (The class is referring to the whole group so we have a singular verb.)
The class are taking their tests today. (The class in this sentence is referring to each member as an individual so it uses a plural verb. This sentence appears to read wrong at first, but if you stop to think about it, it’s correct in the form it takes.)

When it comes to writing amounts such as measurements, weights or dollar amounts they usually have a plural form but are usually considered to be a singular unit and should take a singular verb.

Examples:Ten dollars is the entry fee. (Ten dollars is considered one amount of money)Six months is needed to complete the assignment. (Six months, in this sentence, is one period of time.)

Ten dollars were tucked in the mattress.  (In this sentence, ten dollars is considered to be ten individual dollars and not a single unit)Six months have passed since the assignment. (In this example, six months is considered six individual months)

If we need to write fractions or percents we need to have the verb agree with the object of the preposition that follows the subject.

Examples:
Three fourths of my salary goes to taxes.
Three fourths of the juniors are going to the dance.

We find another problem when we need to write phrases like “a number of” or “the number of”, and while they are similar in nature, one needs a singular verb and the other needs a plural verb.

“The number of” requires a singular verb and “A number of” requires a plural verb.

Examples:The number of musicians signing to record labels increases each year.A number of musicians intend to get a contract deal each year.

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