Spinach

Posted by Smokey Stover on June 06, 2004

In Reply to: Thanks posted by Bruce Kahl on June 05, 2004

: : : : : : Which of the above is correct or either one is fine?

: : : : : Are. "Number" is plural.

: : : : Um, well, "number" is singular, but "are" is correct.

: : : At first I also thought it was singular but figured you wordsmiths know better.

: : : If you turn the sentence around it is:
: : : A number of problems are/is there.
: : : If "number" is singular it would take a singular verb--"is"-- since problems is the object of a prepositional phrase.

: : : Knocking out the prepositional phrase and the sentence reads: "A number is there" or "There is a number" which sounds perfectly ok.

: : : But using the singular sounds awkward: "There is a number of problems".
: : : Help!!

: : From the Chicago Manual of Style:

: : Number as a collective noun takes a singular or plural verb depending on the article (definite the or indefinite a) that precedes it:

: : The number of pizzas ordered this year has doubled.

: : but

: : A number of studies have shown that stuffing a pizza with spinach triples the edibility of that sinewy vegetable.

: I did not know that.
: Thanks for the info.

Yeah, great, I like it too. But that sentence! Did it come from the Chicago Manual of Style? It is correct, but a poor example. We see s sentence about stuffing a pizza, and suddenly it becomes a sentence about a vegetable, interrupting the flow. Better to let us know right away that this is a sentence about spinach. Still not good, but possible: "...using spinach as pizza stuffing triples (triples?) the edibility of that sinewy (muscular?) vegetable." SS

• Number one Henry 06/June/04
  • Number one/Question??? SR 07/June/04
    • Numbers game Henry 07/June/04