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Numbers
and Verbs
The biztip
I sent recently regarding “between
you and me” caused some questions regarding the word “number.”
I wrote “Between you and me, there are a number of
people who don’t get it right.”
Questions then
rose around the word “number.” Does “number” take
a singular or a plural verb. In other words, should it be “the
number is” or “the number are.”
This
is an interesting grammar point. The way it works is that “the number” has
a singular meaning and requires a singular verb.
Examples
The number of people who responded to the advertisement is
higher than expected.
However, “a number” has
a plural meaning and requires a plural verb.
Examples
A number of your emails have spelling errors.
Therefore, I still believe there are a number of people who
do not understand that you must always use “between
you and me.”
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