Pedants' Paradise

[Sydney Grew]

Would it be correct to say "fifty per centum of the Australian population is functionally illiterate" or "fifty per centum of the Australian population are functionally illiterate"?

The latter I think, because "fifty" is the subject of the sentence.

[Serial_Apologist]

Would it be correct to say "fifty per centum of the Australian population is functionally illiterate" or "fifty per centum of the Australian population are functionally illiterate"?

The latter I think, because "fifty" is the subject of the sentence.

um

[french frank]

Isn''t it the same as 'the majority is' and 'the majority are'? It depends how, mentally you ensage the subject - as a single entity or as 'many'.

What's the picture for?

[ahinton]

Would it be correct to say "fifty per centum of the Australian population is functionally illiterate" or "fifty per centum of the Australian population are functionally illiterate"?

The latter I think, because "fifty" is the subject of the sentence.

As that reminds me of the old chestnut that asks "which is correct - 8 plus 8 is 15 or 8 plus 8 are fifteen?" and as I know not what proportion of the Australian population might be illiterate, functionally or otherwise, I am accordingly reminded that I am unqualified to answer the question.

[Sydney Grew]

. . . What's the picture for?

An example. Bass Strait is a geographical feature, rather like the English Channel. "Bass Straight" is a grotesque illiteracy.

[french frank]

An example. Bass Strait is a geographical feature, rather like the English Channel. "Bass Straight" is a grotesque illiteracy.

Ah, I thought it was a beer.

[jean]

..."fifty" is the subject of the sentence.

If you think of fifty per cent as meaning fifty in every hundred, which it does, then Syd is right.

Whether he is right about the illiteracy of Australians, I also could not say.

[gurnemanz]

Last night on Newsnight Paxo smartarsedly reprimanded an interviewee for saying: "Average life expectancy in Newcastle is fifteen years less than in Kensington", suggesting that it should be "fewer". The lady graciously accepted his correction. It struck me that they were in fact both wrong and that the preferable usage would "lower". In this case, it seems to me that "less" would actually be more acceptable than "fewer", since the way the sentence is constructed suggests that we are measuring the expectancy not counting the years. .... Paxo wrong in my book.

[jean]

I didn't see that - what a ghastly old would-be pedant!

We are of course measuring life expectancy as a a single period, not a sequence of years.

(You'd have thought he'd have learned his lesson after he attributed a piece of plainsong to Dvorak on University Challenge not so long ago.)

.

[cloughie]

Last night on Newsnight Paxo smartarsedly reprimanded an interviewee for saying: "Average life expectancy in Newcastle is fifteen years less than in Kensington", suggesting that it should be "fewer". The lady graciously accepted his correction. It struck me that they were in fact both wrong and that the preferable usage would "lower". In this case, it seems to me that "less" would actually be more acceptable than "fewer", since the way the sentence is constructed suggests that we are measuring the expectancy not counting the years. .... Paxo wrong in my book.

Paxo stuffed?

[Serial_Apologist]

Paxo stuffed?

Definitely NOT sage.

[Old Grumpy]

I didn't see that - what a ghastly old would-be pedant!

We are of course measuring life expectancy as a a single period, not a sequence of years.

(You'd have thought he'd have learned his lesson after he attributed a piece of plainsong to Dvorak on University Challenge not so long ago.)

.

I think it would be very interesting to see how Paxo fared as a team member in one of the sleb University Challenges they run from time to time.

[Old Grumpy]

The final straw?

The newsreader on Breakfast this morning, in the context of the aurora borealis:

The phenomena is...

[mangerton]

The final straw?

The newsreader on Breakfast this morning, in the context of the aurora borealis:

The phenomena is...

Indeed. And here's its partner in crime, which I hear every day, from people who should know better:

"The criteria is...."

[Roehre]

The final straw?

The newsreader on Breakfast this morning, in the context of the aurora borealis:

The phenomena is...

Absolutely sure it wasn't a pronunciation of phenomenon?