"His thesis was a seven-sentence construction."  Thesis = singular; was  + 
singulat
=Scott Catledge
--------------------------------------------------
From: "ATEG automatic digest system" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 12:00 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: ATEG Digest - 13 Nov 2011 to 14 Nov 2011 (#2011-199)

> There is 1 message totalling 71 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
>  1. plural or not?
>
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface 
> at:
>     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
> and select "Join or leave the list"
>
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:41:49 -0500
> From:    "Hancock, Craig G" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: plural or not?
>
>     I think even with a single plural number in front of it, the 
> construct=
> ion would be singular. "His thesis was a seven sentence construction." All 
> =
> this starts with "a". We simply think of it as a single entity 
> (constructio=
> n) made up of more than one sentence. "There are seven sentences in his 
> sev=
> en sentence construction."=20
>    I'm reading so much cognitive stuff that's it's hard for me not to 
> fall=
> into that language. We can conceive of the thesis as a single entity even 
> =
> when it has more than one part.  The language harmonizes with that.=20
>
> Craig
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar 
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]
> OHIO.EDU] On Behalf Of Scott Lavitt
> Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2011 1:59 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: plural or not?
>
> Should be singular because it is a hyphenated adjective (one- or 
> two-senten=
> ce) modifying the now condensation.
>
> Scott Lavitt
>
> --- On Sun, 11/13/11, Jan Kammert <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> From: Jan Kammert <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: plural or not?
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Sunday, November 13, 2011, 10:39 AM Is the sentence
>>=20
>> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0
>> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 A thesis
>> statement is a one or two sentence condensation of an argument.
>> grammatically correct?
>>=20
>> If so, why is the word sentence singular?=A0 If the word should be=20
>> sentences (with an s), why?
>>=20
>> Thanks!
>> Jan
>>=20
>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web=20
>> interface at:
>> =A0 =A0 http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>> and select "Join or leave the list"
>>=20
>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>=20
>
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface 
> =
> at:
>     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
> and select "Join or leave the list"
>
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface 
> at:
>     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
> and select "Join or leave the list"
>
> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of ATEG Digest - 13 Nov 2011 to 14 Nov 2011 (#2011-199)
> ***********************************************************
> 

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/