This came up as a matter of contention this week in English classes- any thoughts on whether is or are should be used?
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and is theirs to use.
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use.
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/e.html
Each: A singular noun, which requires a singular verb. Do not write "Each of the chapters have a title"; use "Each of the chapters has a title" or (better) "Each chapter has a title."
Quote from: Sean on April 23, 2008, 08:54:11 PM
This came up as a matter of contention this week in English classes- any thoughts on whether is or are should be used?
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and is theirs to use.
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use.
As CS states, the answer is clearly (i) as the subject of the sentence "each" is singular and hence the verb "is" must also be singular. What's the problem?
Well when I wrote the sentence I used are because we're talking about the drawers of the desks, and both of these are plural; it seems that what's introduced first is what should be kept in mind...
Quote from: Sean on April 23, 2008, 10:26:49 PM
Well when I wrote the sentence I used are because we're talking about the drawers of the desks, and both of these are plural; it seems that what's introduced first is what should be kept in mind...
What should be kept in mind are the grammar rules. We're talking not about "the drawers of the desk" (plural) but about "each of them" (singular).
Quote from: Florestan on April 23, 2008, 10:50:28 PM
What should be kept in mind are the grammar rules. We're talking not about "the drawers of the desk" (plural) but about "each of them" (singular).
Correct.
Quote from: Sean on April 23, 2008, 10:26:49 PM
Well when I wrote the sentence I used are because we're talking about the drawers of the desks, and both of these are plural; it seems that what's introduced first is what should be kept in mind...
That's not right. You are talking about
each one of the drawers. The word "each" implies singular. This aspect of English used to be taught under the subject of "concord", i.e. consistency between subject and predicate in the sentence. We had a tough teacher who drummed this basic stuff into us by about the age of 12. Part of the same English Language eduction involved learning the distinction between main and subordinate clauses, and how to recognise noun, adjectival and adverbial clauses of reason, purpose etc. If any pupil wrote a sentence containing a split infinitive, or contained an apostophe in the wrong place, they got clipped around the ear. You learn that way pretty fast. God knows what they teach kids these days.
Quote from: Topaz on April 23, 2008, 10:55:05 PM
We had a tough teacher who drummed this basic stuff into us by about the age of 12. Part of the same English Language eduction involved learning the distinction between main and subordinate clauses, and how to recognise noun, adjectival and adverbial clauses of reason, purpose etc. If any pupil wrote a sentence containing a split infinitive, or contained an apostophe in the wrong place, they got clipped around the ear. You learn that way pretty fast.
Ah, but you see, you have been indoctrinated by a typical representative of the British class-system teaching methods. ;D :D
Quote from: Topaz on April 23, 2008, 10:55:05 PM
That's not right. You are talking about each one of the drawers. The word "each" implies singular. This aspect of English used to be taught under the subject of "concord", i.e. consistency between subject and predicate in the sentence. We had a tough teacher who drummed this basic stuff into us by about the age of 12. Part of the same English Language eduction involved learning the distinction between main and subordinate clauses, and how to recognise noun, adjectival and adverbial clauses of reason, purpose etc. If any pupil wrote a sentence containing a split infinitive, or contained an apostophe in the wrong place, they got clipped around the ear. You learn that way pretty fast. God knows what they teach kids these days.
Wow.
However, when I wrote
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use I was thinking that each desk had a set of draws not just one, and that
Each just refers to each desk, not its drawers; the word
drawers has to be used either way, and if it's plural for each desk it supports the use of
are??
Quote from: Sean on April 24, 2008, 12:06:52 AM
when I wrote Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use I was thinking that each desk had a set of draws not just one, and that Each just refers to each desk, not its drawers;
This is completely illogical. The way you formulated that phrase,
each refers clearly, unambiguously and directly to
drawers.
I'll try to reformulate the phrase for you:
The drawers of each desk in the room can be locked by the owners and are theirs to use.[I spotted another error in the original phrase: you use "the owner" (singular) and then "are theirs" (plural)].
Well I didn't want to say The drawers of each desk because it was part of a test for correct apostrophe use. But Each of the desks' drawers can still be used, just that it's simply not clear whether its Each refers to each desk (singular) or each of the several drawers in each desk (plural). Ie drawers, as I say, can in that sentence be either the single drawer of many desks or the many drawers of each of many desks. And thus are is okay. So there.
And Theirs is subject to epicene singular usage as well as denoting plural possession.
Quote from: Sean on April 24, 2008, 12:43:12 AM
Each of the desks' drawers can still be used, just that it's simply not clear whether its Each refers to each desk (singular) or each of the several drawers in each desk (plural).
Once again: it's as clear as daylight that
each refers to the
drawers and I'm surprised you can't see it.
Quote from: Sean on April 24, 2008, 12:06:52 AM
Wow.
However, when I wrote Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use I was thinking that each desk had a set of draws not just one, and that Each just refers to each desk, not its drawers; the word drawers has to be used either way, and if it's plural for each desk it supports the use of are??
Consider your first sentence:
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and is theirs to use.This is a very efficient way of saying:
1. In the room there are several desks.
2. Each desk has at least one drawer, possibly several.
3. Implicitly, each owner may possibly be allocated one or more drawers.
4. Each drawer can be locked by its owner.
The question is "what can locked"? From the above it's clear that what can be locked - i.e. the subject of the sentence - is "each drawer", not desks, or drawers (pl). Thus, the correct conjugation of the verb is singular, and hence "is" is correct, not "are".
Quote from: Topaz on April 24, 2008, 01:09:46 AM
Consider your first sentence:
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and is theirs to use.
This is a very efficient way of saying:
1. In the room there are several desks.
2. Each desk has at least one drawer, possibly several.
3. Implicitly, each owner may possibly be allocated one or more drawers.
4. Each drawer can be locked by its owner.
The question is "what can locked"? From the above it's clear that what can be locked - i.e. the subject of the sentence - is "each drawer", not desks, or drawers (pl). Thus, the correct conjugation of the verb is singular, and hence "is" is correct, not "are".
Your English teacher would be proud of you!
You see, Sean, this is why we need the good, old, class attendance compulsory, learning oriented teaching style: to get everybody think, speak and write correctly.
Each of the cats can has cheeseburgers
or
Each of the cats can have cheeseburgers
Quote from: Topaz on April 24, 2008, 01:09:46 AM
The question is "what can locked"? From the above it's clear that what can be locked - i.e. the subject of the sentence - is "each drawer", not desks, or drawers (pl). Thus, the correct conjugation of the verb is singular, and hence "is" is correct, not "are".
I would simply say "each" is the subject, and therefore requires a singular verb. Ignore "of the desks' drawers" for the moment; that is simply a prepositional phrase that does not affect the overall nature of the sentence as singular. And ignore the compound predicate, which can also confuse the issue (especially as the predicates are not parallel in structure) What you're left with is:
Each is theirs [his or hers] to use.
Therefore in reply to ChamberNut, "Each of the cats can have cheeseburgers" is correct, but so would be: "Each of the cats is a cheeseburger nut."
As for "of the desks' drawers," if this is a lesson on the apostrophe, many people prefer not to use apostrophes with inaminate objects.
Quote from: Florestan on April 24, 2008, 12:19:35 AM
This is completely illogical. The way you formulated that phrase, each refers clearly, unambiguously and directly to drawers.
I'll try to reformulate the phrase for you:
The drawers of each desk in the room can be locked by the owners and are theirs to use.
But in doing so, you've made the sentence plural, where it was originally singular.
Quote from: Sforzando on April 24, 2008, 04:26:57 AM
But in doing so, you've made the sentence plural, where it was originally singular.
Exactly. Sean wants to use "are" instead of "is". I just showed him how.
What about "ain't?" ;D
Quote from: ChamberNut on April 24, 2008, 03:57:40 AM
Each of the cats can has cheeseburgers
or
Each of the cats can have cheeseburgers
If we drop the "can", it is correct to say "Each of the cats has cheeseburgers", and not "Each of the cats have cheeseburgers".
If "can" is re-inserted, then "can has" is never applicable under any circumstances, and "can have" is the only grammatical form that has general acceptance. To be slightly pedantic, "Each of the cats may have cheeseburgers" is probably better.
Quote from: Sean on April 24, 2008, 12:06:52 AM
Wow.
However, when I wrote Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use I was thinking that each desk had a set of draws not just one, and that Each just refers to each desk, not its drawers; the word drawers has to be used either way, and if it's plural for each desk it supports the use of are??
I don't know if you have ever tried, or ever intend to get published: but if I were you, I should quit trying to justify your sentence and consider whether you've in fact written something that's so ambiguous even an experienced editor would be defeated and would - I'm sorry to say - vow never to commission an article from someone so unable to write clear English. Far better to start again and re-write your sentence.
Quote from: Sean on April 23, 2008, 08:54:11 PM
This came up as a matter of contention this week in English classes- any thoughts on whether is or are should be used?
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and is theirs to use.
Each of the desks' drawers in the room can be locked by the owner and are theirs to use.
Neither is correct, "theirs" is improper usage. Dropping some non-essential verbiage, it should be
Each of the drawers can be locked by its owner and is his (or hers) to use.If you really mean "each" to refer to the desk, then it should be
Each of the desks has drawers that can be locked by their owner and are for his or her use.You could even say
Each of the desks has drawers that can be locked by its owner and are for his or her use.which would imply that the owner is the owner of the desk (not the drawers) although it is still the plural drawers that are being locked. That seems more obscure to me. What would be wrong with simply "if you don't want you stuff to get stolen, lock your desk drawers."
Pierre made the most salient point. Any sentence so convoluted that the verb tenses are unclear is not a good sentence.
Quote from: Sforzando on April 24, 2008, 04:26:57 AM
But in doing so, you've made the sentence plural, where it was originally singular.
Yes that's what I was thinking.
However I'll probably defer to Topaz's expertize. (Or do you prefer no s after the apostrophe?, or ise not ize?, and question marks only at the ends of sentences?)
Thanks guys. It's heartening to know I'm not the only dude finding myself drawn into this stuff.
Quote from: head-case on April 24, 2008, 02:16:59 PM
Pierre made the most salient point. Any sentence so convoluted that the verb tenses are unclear is not a good sentence.
Good one head-case, and you're right about the convoluted sentence; I was aware of this but wanted to include S's and apostrophes for an exercise for students. Note you can use an apostrophe to denote purality occasionally to make things clearer...