Verbal Help please

Question

Please tell me if the following usage is correct:


1. The group of companies  is  ( not " are ") .......

2. A group of companies  are ......

3. The audience  is .......

4. The audiences  are ......

Thanks,
KSS

tino · Answer

I'd say 1,3,4 are correct. I'm in doubt about the 2nd one, but more probably it's wrong.

brstorewala · Answer

Let me try a Tendulakar shot at this :lol:

for 1 and 2 "the & a" are articles (definite and indefinite), which indicate that either the speaker knows the group or he does not know the group......so I think it should be the group of companies is a group of companies is another reason is that the subject in both the cases is "group" and so the verb should agree with group, which is singular. i think the only exception to this rule is "a number of & the number of", in which "a number of" is plural and "the number of" singular 3 and 4 seem to be ok any body want to differ????

KSS · Answer

brstorewala,
 Thanks for the reply. I agree with what you say. I just wanted confirmation not I have it.

Thanks.

SERGEI · Answer

KSS

If you do not mind my remark about the grammar, I'd say that "whether" is much better choice when you speak about different possibilities(Esp. during GMAT). Kaplan, Kliff's and the gang suggest to use "if" construction in conditional clauses only.

I didn't mind to offend you, I just know that this case is one of the GMAT traps.

Sergei

Anonymous · Answer

Sergei,
I totally agree with you. And would have chosen 'whether' if this were GMAT.
Thanks a lot.

KSS · Answer

Sergei, 
I totally agree with you. And would have chosen 'whether'  if  this were GMAT. 
Thanks a lot.

Zhung Gazi · Answer

a group of  companies   are 
The  group  of companies  is

AkamaiBrah · Answer

Actually, this is not a question that can be answered based on the information above. Strictly speaking, many "group" nouns can be considered either plural or singular depending on whether the action applied is one of the group "as a single entity" or as individual members of the group. 

Examples:
The audience is large. 
The audience are being seated by an usher as they enter the arena. 
The committee is convening at noon. 
The committee are discussing the merits of the proposal.
The majority of the Senate is weak.
The majority of the senators are in for a fight this November.
The group of companies is diverse.
The selected group of companies are at risk of becoming insolvent.

Having said that, I do not recall the GMAT ever testing the plural usage of a group noun or pronoun.

Verbal Help please

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