Re: A group of little girls was/were playing in the park.

Home| Search | About

User Password

Lost Password?

Marine Aquaria - Marine Reef aquaria.

Bookmark this page: YahooMyWeb

Yahoo!

Google

Windows Live

del.icio.us digg

digg

Netscape

Subject

Author

Date

Re: A group of little girls was/were playing in the park.

=?EUC-KR?B?qKOorKijYW5kY2Fyb2x

03-31-2008

Re: A group of little girls was/were playing in th...

Oleg Lego

04-01-2008

Posted by =?EUC-KR?B?qKOorKijYW5kY2Fyb2x on March 31, 2008, 1:46 pm

Please log in for more thread options

s0i@4ax.com:

>
>
>

> > On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:21:16 -0000, Mark Brader posted:

> >>"Datere" asks about:
> >>> A group of little girls *were playing in the park.
> >>> A group of little girls *was playing in the park.

> ...

> >>The answer is that "were" is correct and "was" is wrong. =EF=BF=BDExpres=

sions

> >>like "a group of..." and "a number of..." are almost always construed
> >>as plural. =EF=BF=BDNouns referring to groups are construed as singular =

only

> >>if you are thinking of the group as a single unit, which would be
> >>very unusual for an expression like "a group of".

> > Well, whenever I think of a "group of" anything, I think of it as a
> > single unit, namely, a group.

>
> Same here. "Group" is the noun, "of..." is an adjectival phrase modifying
> it. In Datere's original sentences, "a group was playing..." =EF=BF=BDor "=

girls

> were playing.."

Nothing better to do besides being usenets spellchecker?

Posted by Oleg Lego on April 1, 2008, 2:10 am

Please log in for more thread options

On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:46:56 -0700 (PDT), ¨£¨¬¨£andcarole¢À¢À posted:

>>
>>
>>

>> > On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:21:16 -0000, Mark Brader posted:

>> >>"Datere" asks about:
>> >>> A group of little girls *were playing in the park.
>> >>> A group of little girls *was playing in the park.

>> ...

>> >>The answer is that "were" is correct and "was" is wrong. ?Expressions
>> >>like "a group of..." and "a number of..." are almost always construed
>> >>as plural. ?Nouns referring to groups are construed as singular only
>> >>if you are thinking of the group as a single unit, which would be
>> >>very unusual for an expression like "a group of".

>> > Well, whenever I think of a "group of" anything, I think of it as a
>> > single unit, namely, a group.

>>
>> Same here. "Group" is the noun, "of..." is an adjectival phrase modifying
>> it. In Datere's original sentences, "a group was playing..." ?or "girls
>> were playing.."

>
>Nothing better to do besides being usenets spellchecker?

I just love it when the idiot brigade drops by with a poorly
punctuated non-sequitur.

--
WCdnE

Posted by Brandon D Cartwright on April 1, 2008, 3:30 am

Please log in for more thread options

wrote:

>On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:46:56 -0700 (PDT), ¨£¨¬¨£andcarole¢À¢À posted:
>

>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> > On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:21:16 -0000, Mark Brader posted:
>>>
>>> >>"Datere" asks about:
>>> >>> A group of little girls *were playing in the park.
>>> >>> A group of little girls *was playing in the park.
>>> ...
>>> >>The answer is that "were" is correct and "was" is wrong. ?Expressions
>>> >>like "a group of..." and "a number of..." are almost always construed
>>> >>as plural. ?Nouns referring to groups are construed as singular only
>>> >>if you are thinking of the group as a single unit, which would be
>>> >>very unusual for an expression like "a group of".
>>>
>>> > Well, whenever I think of a "group of" anything, I think of it as a
>>> > single unit, namely, a group.
>>>
>>> Same here. "Group" is the noun, "of..." is an adjectival phrase modifying
>>> it. In Datere's original sentences, "a group was playing..." ?or "girls
>>> were playing.."

>>
>>Nothing better to do besides being usenets spellchecker?

>
>I just love it when the idiot brigade drops by with a poorly
>punctuated non-sequitur.

I guess you are a classic example of what they call an educated
idiot..

All those college courses and still you don't have enough sense to
come in from the rain..

Posted by bobandcarole on April 1, 2008, 3:43 pm

Please log in for more thread options

> On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:46:56 -0700 (PDT), =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=

=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BDandcarole=EF=BF=BD"=EF=BF=BD posted:

>
>
>
>
>

3ehs0i@4ax.com:

> >> > On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:21:16 -0000, Mark Brader posted:

> >> >>"Datere" asks about:
> >> >>> A group of little girls *were playing in the park.
> >> >>> A group of little girls *was playing in the park.
> >> ...
> >> >>The answer is that "were" is correct and "was" is wrong. ?Expressions=

> >> >>like "a group of..." and "a number of..." are almost always construed=

> >> >>as plural. ?Nouns referring to groups are construed as singular only
> >> >>if you are thinking of the group as a single unit, which would be
> >> >>very unusual for an expression like "a group of".

> >> > Well, whenever I think of a "group of" anything, I think of it as a
> >> > single unit, namely, a group.

> >> Same here. "Group" is the noun, "of..." is an adjectival phrase modifyi=

> >> it. In Datere's original sentences, "a group was playing..." ?or "girls=

> >> were playing.."

> >Nothing better to do besides being usenets spellchecker?

>
> I just love it when the idiot brigade drops by with a poorly
> punctuated non-sequitur.
>

Betcha love those big black schlongs too, dontcha?

Posted by Bob Cunningham on April 1, 2008, 5:07 pm

Please log in for more thread options

On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:10:15 -0600, Oleg Lego

[...]

> I just love it when the idiot brigade drops by with a poorly
> punctuated non-sequitur.

The brigade doesn't drop by as a monolithic unit. It's
composed of individuals, each presumably free to join in or
not. The brigade drop by.

Similar Threads	Posted
is news group down?	May 6, 2006, 1:08 pm
This Group content	November 19, 2008, 1:23 pm
Re: THIS TRASHED USELESS GROUP BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF WAYNE SALLEE	September 16, 2008, 8:34 am