One agrees about the first.  It seems counter-intuitive to say 'the gallons
are coming', as if the single measure, the gallon, was being foregrounded.

In the second the subject is 'slew', so singular, requiring 'has'.

Mismatches in number between subject and verb in people's speech are
becoming increasingly common in England, the common form being to use
singular where plural is required.

Edmond Wright




> By my thinking they are both correct. In the first sentence, "210,000 gallons"
> represents a single amount and, therefore, is treated as a singular subject.
> In the second example the subject is "officials" which takes the plural "have
> been exposed."
> Bud McKibban
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Chorazy <[log in to unmask]>
> To: ATEG <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sun, Jan 20, 2013 2:28 am
> Subject: Subject/verb agreement
> 
> 
> Without my own comments on these sentences or a longer preface, I'll just
> submit them and ask for your thoughts on subject/verb agreement. Thank you...
>  
> 
> According to NOAA, an estimated 210,000 gallons(5,000 barrels) a day is coming
> from the remaining ruptures (PBS).
>  
> In recent months, a slew of low-level Communist officials as well as a few
> high ranking ones‹most notably the vice party chief of the southwestern
> province of Sichuan, LiChuncheng ‹ have been exposed by local media
> anddismissed from their positions after their sexual peccadilloes came to
> light(NBC News).
> 
>  
>  
> 

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/