Sentence Correction: Quantity Words & Phrases query

[as2764]

hi MGMAT instructors,

i went through the MGMAT SC guide's "Quantity Words & Phrases" section. and, i'd appreciate your help in analyzing whether each of the following 6 sentences are right/wrong and why:

1. a number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
2. a number of students in this class IS hardworking.
3. the majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers.
4. the majority of the students in this class IS hardworking.
5. a majority of students in this class ARE hard workers.
6. a majority of students in this class IS hardworking.

i seem to be confused as to when to choose the verb based on the subject and when from the modifier after the preposition.

Thank you in advance!

[jnelson0612]

hi MGMAT instructors,

i went through the MGMAT SC guide's "Quantity Words & Phrases" section. and, i'd appreciate your help in analyzing whether each of the following 6 sentences are right/wrong and why:

1. a number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
2. a number of students in this class IS hardworking.
3. the majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers.
4. the majority of the students in this class IS hardworking.
5. a majority of students in this class ARE hard workers.
6. a majority of students in this class IS hardworking.

i seem to be confused as to when to choose the verb based on the subject and when from the modifier after the preposition.

Thank you in advance!

Hi Ashish,
We're happy to help, but why don't you do the first analysis on each of these and then we'll either confirm or help you correct? For us to just tell you won't help you learn as well. :-)

[as2764]

Hi Ashish,
We're happy to help, but why don't you do the first analysis on each of these and then we'll either confirm or help you correct? For us to just tell you won't help you learn as well. :-)

hi Jamie - makes sense :) here i go..

1. a number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
=>because, "a number of" generally takes a plural verb. it's similar to "some" (or a fraction of a whole), which is part of the exceptions, SANAM (Some Any None All More/Most), in which the noun that ensues the preposition is the subject deciding the plurality of the verb! (this one gets tricky when the beginning is switched to "the number of" as it breaks the SANAM rule)

2. a number of students in this class ARE hardworking.
=> same reason as 1.

3. the majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers.
=> because, for words such as "majority," "minority," and "plurality," it depends on the context. to indicate individual parts of the totality, we use a PLURAL verb. to indicate the totality ITSELF, we use a SINGULAR verb. here, we're referring to "the students," which are many individual parts of the "majority."

4. the majority of the students in this class ARE hardworking.
=> same reason as 3.

5. a majority of students in this class ARE hard workers.
=> same reason as 3.

6. a majority of students in this class ARE hardworking.
=> same reason as 3.

now, this is some exercise! but, i'm confused why would "majority" be treated differently than "number?" awaiting your comments..

[Willy]

hi MGMAT instructors,

i went through the MGMAT SC guide's "Quantity Words & Phrases" section. and, i'd appreciate your help in analyzing whether each of the following 6 sentences are right/wrong and why:

1. a number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
2. a number of students in this class IS hardworking.
3. the majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers.
4. the majority of the students in this class IS hardworking.
5. a majority of students in this class ARE hard workers.
6. a majority of students in this class IS hardworking.

i seem to be confused as to when to choose the verb based on the subject and when from the modifier after the preposition.

Thank you in advance!

Your questions even made me confused. Here are rules -

A number of --> Plural
The number of --> Singular

Majority 'is' but majority of something 'are'.

But your examples are really confusing. :)

[as2764]

Your questions even made me confused. Here are rules -

A number of --> Plural
The number of --> Singular

Majority 'is' but majority of something 'are'.

But your examples are really confusing. :)

i guess the GMAT, w/ the time pressure, would be at least as confusing as this :)

but, what verb would you use for "majority of the class ___ going to the picnic?" IS or ARE?

it's the part of the totality (majority) i.e. "of the class" in this example that decides the plurality of the verb.

[Willy]

Your questions even made me confused. Here are rules -

A number of --> Plural
The number of --> Singular

Majority 'is' but majority of something 'are'.

But your examples are really confusing. :)

i guess the GMAT, w/ the time pressure, would be at least as confusing as this :)

but, what verb would you use for "majority of the class ___ going to the picnic?" IS or ARE?

it's the part of the totality (majority) i.e. "of the class" in this example that decides the plurality of the verb.

Can't come up with explanation but I would go with IS as it sound okay to me.

[tim]

actually, you would never use "majority of" by itself!

"a majority of" i think would be like "most", and i would use ARE..

"the majority of" seems like it should be singular though; can you find any OG questions where this is actually tested so we can identify definitively what the GMAT thinks about this?

[as2764]

"the majority of" seems like it should be singular though; can you find any OG questions where this is actually tested so we can identify definitively what the GMAT thinks about this?

hi Tim,

here is a similar post about "collective nouns & singularity/plurality" to which both Ron Purewal and you have replied: collective-nouns-singular-or-plural-t1398.html. Ron indicated that the SC guide has an error in using "majority of" in 1 particular place. i found Ron's 2nd post quite convincing that it's very subtle based on what follows "majority of."

i also scanned the underlined portions of SC problems in the 12th edition of OG & the 2nd edition of Verbal OG to find nothing, but only 1 example that used "a number of!"

any other perspectives?

[as2764]

i know you'd suggested we stick to GMAT rules, but i thought this text from dictionary.com's meaning of the word, majority, could be helpful:

"usage The majority of can only refer to a number of things or people. When talking about an amount, most of should be used: most of (not the majority of ) the harvest was saved"

[tim]

to answer your question, no i don't have "any other perspectives". i'm not even sure what you're looking for here, as i feel Ron and i have pretty thoroughly covered this topic..