krndatta wrote:
AndrewN Can you share your two cents on option D?
I understood your explanation for option C.
A is more concise and straightforward than C.
Option E changes the meaning because the number of women are growing, and not the women themselves.
Option B has subject verb disagreement.
Option D I am not able to get.
The number is considered singular and a number is considered plural. Am I right?
But what is the error in option D?
Please share your reasoning.
A number, in and of itself, isn't plural. It is only when "
a number" is followed by the prepositional phrase "
of + plural noun" that the phrase is considered plural, since it acts equivalent to the quantifier
many and the "true subject" is not "a number" but rather the plural noun appearing after the prepositional phrase. For example:
- A number of people are growing obese -- Here, the true subject is really the plural noun "people", since it is the people who are getting obese (not "a number" itself)

However, when "a number" is followed by
other prepositional phrases or appears standalone, it will act as singular -- this is when it is used in the literal sense of "a number" or "a figure" or "a statistic". For example:
- A number divisible by 2 is even
- A number does not define me
- I proposed a number (or a figure), which was reasonable to both him and me.
Hope this helps.
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