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Subject:"0 or 1" singlular or plural? From:"Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:34:22 -0500
T. Word Smith wondered: <<If you have this construction, do you use singular
or plural? There is little feedback (0 or 1 phone calls). There is little
feedback (0 or 1 phone call).>>
If you want to be technical, there are two possibilities and thus the accord
is plural. But constructions such as this (based on the verb "to be") always
look awkward to at least some readers. As well, the conflict between number
of calls (0 vs. 1) and the singular "feedback" further complicates the
issue. That being the case, why not avoid the potential confusion and recast
the sentence? "We* received little feedback (either one call or no calls)."
Or better still: "We received no more than one phone call." That latter
phrase clearly means "not much feedback".
* Why conceal who it was that received the feedback? Write it clearly and
directly.
--Geoff Hart, ghart -at- [delete]videotron -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
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