GalacticCactus Forum

Poll

Is the following sentence correct: "One in three pupils get poor education"?

Correct
0 (0%)
Incorrect
9 (100%)

Total Members Voted: 9

« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Numerical agreement  (Read 2098 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Numerical agreement
« on: January 30, 2007, 10:50:38 AM »
I know the technical answer on this one, but I'm wondering what the general feeling on this one is. Does it sound okay to most people?
Logged
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Porter

  • ruining funny with facts
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,333
  • long time lurker, first time poster
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2007, 11:03:54 AM »
It sounds completely wrong.
Logged
Tomorrow Poster
Sooner or later, this forum is going to max out on hyperliteralness.

Offline sarcasticmuppet

  • Muppet Treasure Island
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,196
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2007, 11:08:36 AM »
Is it correct?  I'm taking off the beginning and going with "pupils get poor education", which sounds right.
Logged
You know, I think I'd make a great Queen of England.  --Porter

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Numerical agreement
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2007, 11:17:34 AM »
Note: This is a newspaper headline, so that explains the omitted "a" before "poor education."
Logged
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline JT

  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,190
    • View Profile
    • http://www.entropicalisle.com
Numerical agreement
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2007, 11:22:41 AM »
It sounds fine, but it's wrong.
Logged
entropicalisle.com
What sets the carbon atom apart is that it is shamelessly promiscuous.

Offline Porter

  • ruining funny with facts
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,333
  • long time lurker, first time poster
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2007, 11:26:07 AM »
I don't know whether it's right or wrong, I just know that it sounds wrong to me.
Logged
Tomorrow Poster
Sooner or later, this forum is going to max out on hyperliteralness.

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Numerical agreement
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2007, 12:44:08 PM »
Right or wrong, I can't say "get" in that sentence.  It's "gets".  I'm trusting my ear on this one.

After all, I am a native speaker of the language.
Logged
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Porter

  • ruining funny with facts
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,333
  • long time lurker, first time poster
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2007, 12:49:39 PM »
Logged
Tomorrow Poster
Sooner or later, this forum is going to max out on hyperliteralness.

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,868
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Numerical agreement
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2007, 12:54:02 PM »
There is no comparison.
Logged
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Numerical agreement
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2007, 12:55:51 PM »
There's a world of difference between being simply a native speaker and being a fluent speaker.
Logged
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Porter

  • ruining funny with facts
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,333
  • long time lurker, first time poster
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2007, 12:55:53 PM »
Quote
There is no comparison.
And yet, I managed to compare you anyway.

It must be a superpower.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 12:56:53 PM by Porteiro »
Logged
Tomorrow Poster
Sooner or later, this forum is going to max out on hyperliteralness.

Offline Farmgirl

  • Out Standing in Her Field
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,598
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2007, 01:17:32 PM »
It's a weird sentence either way. But technically the 'get' verb is supposed to go with the word "one" (as if the "in three pupils" wasn't there)
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 01:17:52 PM by Farmgirl »
Logged
"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Being a farmer is not something that you do—it is something that you are.

If I could eat only one fruit, I wouldn't choose the blueberry. It is too small. I'd go with watermelon. There is a lot to eat on a watermelon. - Tante

Offline Porter

  • ruining funny with facts
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,333
  • long time lurker, first time poster
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2007, 01:21:39 PM »
What's the "correct" answer, Jonathon?
Logged
Tomorrow Poster
Sooner or later, this forum is going to max out on hyperliteralness.

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,680
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Numerical agreement
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2007, 01:41:08 PM »
The correct answer is that it should be "gets," but the more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed. After all, they're not really talking about one student. But then I got to the point where I couldn't tell what sounded normal anymore.

Luckily I didn't actually have to edit it, because the context was that they were making fun of the (supposed) poor education of the author of the headline.
Logged
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline pooka

  • hover bear
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 18,877
    • View Profile
Numerical agreement
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2007, 03:16:36 PM »
Didn't one of you guys said editors are more responsible for headlines?
Logged
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his work."  Comte de Saint-Simon
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »