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"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode!

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Last

12-15-2008 , 10:32 AM

#451

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by econophile

The New York Times style guide does not agree with you.

"In general, spell out the first nine cardinal and ordinal numbers in ordinary copy. . . . Use figures for numbers above nine."

Yep, was just going to post this. Numbers lower than 10 should be spelled out. Ten and higher should be written as numerals (except when at the beginning of a sentence).

Quote

12-15-2008 , 03:41 PM

#452

gusmahler

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But what if it's a really big number:

"Two hundred ninety-nine million, seven hundred ninety-two thousand, four-hundred fifty-eight meters is how far the light traveled in one second."

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12-15-2008 , 03:43 PM

#453

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by gusmahler

But what if it's a really big number:

"Two hundred ninety-nine million, seven hundred ninety-two thousand, four-hundred fifty-eight meters is how far the light traveled in one second."

I imagine you'd say 'the light traveled 299,792,458 meters in one second.'

Quote

12-15-2008 , 03:52 PM

#454

KurtSF

Lucky Number Seven

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 16,471

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pudge714

Workahol, chocohol and shopahol are not words.

"I'm addicted to rageahol!"

I know some of you have seen the billboards:

"1 in 5 children is sexually solicited online"

They've been around for years. Shocking.

Quote

12-15-2008 , 03:54 PM

#455

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtSF

I know some of you have seen the billboards:

"1 in 5 children is sexually solicited online"

They've been around for years. Shocking.

What am I missing here? Looks fine to me. "Is" is correct, if that's the issue.

Quote

12-15-2008 , 04:04 PM

#456

MrEleganza

old hand

Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,861

Quote:

Originally Posted by econophile

The New York Times style guide does not agree with you.

"In general, spell out the first nine cardinal and ordinal numbers in ordinary copy. . . . Use figures for numbers above nine."

This is probably me misremembering what I learned in a class 12 years ago. Thanks.

Quote

12-15-2008 , 04:06 PM

#457

KurtSF

Lucky Number Seven

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 16,471

Quote:

Originally Posted by otnemem

What am I missing here? Looks fine to me. "Is" is correct, if that's the issue.

No its not.

One child in five is sexually solicited. One in five children are sexually solicited.

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12-15-2008 , 04:12 PM

#458

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtSF

No its not.

One child in five is sexually solicited. One in five children are sexually solicited.

I guess I could be wrong, but I'd need some evidence to the contrary. To me it's the same sentence, just structured differently. "Is" still refers to "one" not "children."

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12-15-2008 , 04:18 PM

#459

gumpzilla

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Quote:

Originally Posted by otnemem

I guess I could be wrong, but I'd need some evidence to the contrary. To me it's the same sentence, just structured differently. "Is" still refers to "one" not "children."

Try it using words for the fractions - "a fifth of children is sexually assaulted." I'm with KurtSF on this one. Or, "20% of children is sexually assaulted."

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12-15-2008 , 04:19 PM

#460

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by gumpzilla

Try it using words for the fractions - "a fifth of children is sexually assaulted." I'm with KurtSF on this one. Or, "20% of children is sexually assaulted."

Googling it I see it both ways (sometimes even from the same source). So maybe it's a style choice? I don't know.

The phrases "one in [plural number]" and "more than one" always take a singular verb:

One in four dentists recommends this toothpaste.
One out of every five instructors gets this question wrong.
There is more than one reason for this.
More than one lad has lost his heart to this lass.

No idea if this is legit.

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12-15-2008 , 04:43 PM

#461

MrWookie

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Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 94,159

Remove the prepositional phrase "in five children" to properly resolve the verb conjugation:

"One...is sexually solicited online"

"One" is the subject of the sentence. "In five children" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "one."

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12-15-2008 , 04:49 PM

#462

otnemem

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Right, that's what I meant (but didn't phrase as eloquently).

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12-15-2008 , 04:55 PM

#463

KurtSF

Lucky Number Seven

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 16,471

Wat?

Children is the subject. "One in five" is the modifier. How can a number be the subject? What if its 40%?

You tellin' me that two in five children is solicited?

(Google won't be any help because the group putting out the stat used "is" so its going to be that way all over the interntes.)

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12-15-2008 , 05:03 PM

#464

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtSF

Two in five children ARE solicited. The number is the subject, not children. A number can easily be a subject.

"For every five children, one will be solicited sexually online."

Quote

12-15-2008 , 05:11 PM

#465

KurtSF

Lucky Number Seven

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OK OK, so i guess it depends on if you see "one" as a noun or an adjective in the statement.

But between you and me, its one helluva stretch to think its a noun in that case.

Especially when you consider "two". That's some really abused logic imo.

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12-15-2008 , 05:21 PM

#466

otnemem

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Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtSF

Would you say "One of the three children are white"? No, you'd say "One of the three children is white." One is white. Two of the three children are Hispanic. Please explain to me how this is abused logic.

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12-15-2008 , 05:31 PM

#467

otnemem

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Apparently the argument for "are" is that even though it's "one in five," the "one" actually refers to a number much bigger than one. (If there are 50 children, one in five actually refers to 10.) But according to this woman, who referenced Garner's Modern American Usage, "is" is always correct.

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12-15-2008 , 05:32 PM

#468

MrWookie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtSF

"One" is absolutely not an adjective in this sentence. You're bordering on having your qualifications to post in this thread revoked.

And if it's "40 percent," then the percent is plural, so that does employ "are."

Last edited by MrWookie; 12-15-2008 at 05:42 PM. Reason: Quotes

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12-15-2008 , 05:35 PM

#469

Claunchy

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Everything Wookie has said regarding the "one in five" thing is 100% correct.

Kurt, just stop.

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12-15-2008 , 05:36 PM

#470

MrWookie

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Claunchy,

I think you mean, "Everything Wookie has said regarding the 'one in five' thing are 100% correct."

Last edited by MrWookie; 12-15-2008 at 05:36 PM. Reason: :p

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12-15-2008 , 05:38 PM

#471

Claunchy

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Where's that angry fist-shaking smiley when you need it?

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12-15-2008 , 10:54 PM

#472

Brocktoon

Unreada Bill

Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 8,674

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrWookie

And if it's "40 percent," then the percent is plural, so that does employ "are."

Would this mean that if it were 1% of something then you'd use "is"?

Quote

12-15-2008 , 11:01 PM

#473

Brocktoon

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Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 8,674

FWIW I think that by using percentages we see that the subject is whatever the percentage is of, not the number itself.

For instance:

You would say:

1% of the population is infected.

Or...

1% of automobiles are electric.

Both of those sound right because the subject, at least in my mind, is population (singular) and automobiles (plural) respectively. Also, you could substitute 30% or any other percentage in either of those sentences and the correct use of is/are remains unchanged. Looks like the number is irrelevant, only what it is a number of affects tense.