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One of the students VS is One of the students

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One of the students VS is One of the students

by Soumita » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:10 pm
1)The percentage of students who do not attend ceremony was small.

Here who modify the percentage of students and was is used as the percentage is singular.

2)One of the students who was sick was absent during exam.

Here who modify one of the students and as one is singular was is used.

3) He is one of the students who speak Italian.

Here also who modify one of the students and in this case also one is singular. But in this case plural verb is used i.e speak not speaks. Why in this case there is exceptional?
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by nisagl750 » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:52 pm
Soumita wrote:1)The percentage of students who do not attend ceremony was small.

Here who modify the percentage of students and was is used as the percentage is singular.

2)One of the students who was sick was absent during exam.

Here who modify one of the students and as one is singular was is used.

3) He is one of the students who speak Italian.

Here also who modify one of the students and in this case also one is singular. But in this case plural verb is used i.e speak not speaks. Why in this case there is exceptional?
HE is one of THOSE students who speak Italian.
He speaks Italian,
The Students speak Italian
And
He is one of the students who SPEAK Italian. (Here Speak is used for Students, not one of the student)

Hope this helps.
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by Soumita Ghosh » Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:31 pm
Hi nisagl750,

Thanks a lot for your response.

Then why in case of The percentage of students does not instead of do not and was instead of were?

One of the students who was instead of were?
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by Tommy Wallach » Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:50 pm
My head hurts!

Guys, really try to write grammatically when talking about grammar, or life gets confusing!

1)The percentage of students who do not attend ceremony was small. --> This sentence isn't grammatical...

NEW 1): The percentage of high school students who do not go to college is small.

The subject of this sentence is "the percentage (of high school students)". How do we know? Because it's not the students who are "small."

1b) A number of the monkeys in captivity are smelly.
1c) The number of monkeys in captivity is growing.

In the first sentence, "smelly" tells us that "monkeys" are the subject, so our verb is plural.
In the second sentence, "growing" tells us that "number" is the subject, so our verb is singular.


2)One of the students who was sick was absent during the exam.

This sentence is correct. The subject is "one of the students," which is singular.

The reading you might be thinking of:

One student, who was among the many students who were sick, was absent during the exam.

That's a hideous sentence, but that makes "students" into the subject.

3) He is one of the students who speak Italian.

In this example, "one" is not the subject, as it was in the other two sentences. And "he" is the subject of "is". So the only subject left for "speak" is "students."

Does that help?

-t
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by nisagl750 » Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:51 pm
Soumita Ghosh wrote:Hi nisagl750,

Thanks a lot for your response.

Then why in case of The percentage of students does not instead of do not and was instead of were?

One of the students who was instead of were?
Hi Soumita,

I think percentage statement uses "do not" correctly.
1)The percentage of students who do not attend ceremony was small
Here "do not" is used because it refers to all those students (plural) who did not attend the ceremony and "was" is used to show that the percentage (singular) was less.

2)One of the students who was sick was absent during exam.
OR
2)One of the students who were sick was absent during exam.


First statement talks about one student from a group of students was sick and that particular student was absent during the exam.
Also, In first statement "who" modifies one sick student.
Second statement states that one student among all those students who were sick was absent during the exam and all other sick students attended the exam.

Does this help?
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by nisagl750 » Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:57 pm
Tommy Wallach wrote:My head hurts!

Guys, really try to write grammatically when talking about grammar, or life gets confusing!

1)The percentage of students who do not attend ceremony was small. --> This sentence isn't grammatical...

NEW 1): The percentage of high school students who do not go to college is small.

The subject of this sentence is "the percentage (of high school students)". How do we know? Because it's not the students who are "small."

1b) A number of the monkeys in captivity are smelly.
1c) The number of monkeys in captivity is growing.

In the first sentence, "smelly" tells us that "monkeys" are the subject, so our verb is plural.
In the second sentence, "growing" tells us that "number" is the subject, so our verb is singular.


2)One of the students who was sick was absent during the exam.

This sentence is correct. The subject is "one of the students," which is singular.

The reading you might be thinking of:

One student, who was among the many students who were sick, was absent during the exam.

That's a hideous sentence, but that makes "students" into the subject.

3) He is one of the students who speak Italian.

In this example, "one" is not the subject, as it was in the other two sentences. And "he" is the subject of "is". So the only subject left for "speak" is "students."

Does that help?

-t
Thanks Tommy,

It really does help.

I have one doubt though.
2a)One of the students who was sick was absent during exam.
OR
2b)One of the students who were sick was absent during exam.

In the second statement above, who modifies the students who were sick, and "was absent" talks about one student among those sick student, shouldn't there be a separate subject for the verb "was"? Or this 2b statement is as correct as 2a?

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by Tommy Wallach » Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:06 pm
Hey Nisagl,

I think I already explained this, but...

You can't say "One of the students who were sick..."

Why not? Because the subject of that verb is "one."

You wrote "who modifies the students who were sick." No it doesn't. "Who" modifies "one of the students".

It's a bit like saying "The king of France, whom I know quite well, is sick."

In that sentence, "whom" is not modifying France. It's modifying "The king of France."

Does that help?

-t
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by nisagl750 » Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:58 pm
Tommy Wallach wrote:Hey Nisagl,

I think I already explained this, but...

You can't say "One of the students who were sick..."

Why not? Because the subject of that verb is "one."

You wrote "who modifies the students who were sick." No it doesn't. "Who" modifies "one of the students".

It's a bit like saying "The king of France, whom I know quite well, is sick."

In that sentence, "whom" is not modifying France. It's modifying "The king of France."

Does that help?

-t
Yes It does help, but I am still confused.

If I want to say that One of the student was sick and he was absent during the exam, I would say
One of the students who was sick was absent during the exam.
But If I want to say, Many students are sick and only one sick student was absent during the exam and others were present, how to write it?
you already told me that "one of the students who were sick was absent during the exam" is wrong.

What am I missing? I still didn't get this completely.
Can you please explain?
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by Tommy Wallach » Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:21 am
Hey Nisagl,

I really like to encourage people not to make up too many hypotheticals. The situation you describe is so complicated and weird, I really wouldn't worry about it unless you actually see something on a real practice question that gives you pause. There are an infinitude of ways to say that:

Of all the sick students, only one was absent.

Many of the students were sick, but only one was absent.

etc.

Hope that helps!

-t
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by nisagl750 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:26 am
I know there are several ways of writing a particular statement or sentence.
What I wanted to know was, whether that particular way of writing the sentence was correct or not
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by Tommy Wallach » Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:46 am
Hey Nisagl,

That's not what you asked. You wrote:
But If I want to say, Many students are sick and only one sick student was absent during the exam and others were present, how to write it?
So you asked me how to write it. And as I said, there are many possible ways to write it. If you'd like to know about a particular sentence, please say:

Is this correct: "sentence sentence sentence"

That would be clearer.

-t
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by nisagl750 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 1:16 am
Thanks Tommy,

Is this correct, "One of the students who were sick, was absent at the exam"
But you already told me its wrong. Isn't it?
The only correct verb for THIS sentence is "was". Right?
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by Tommy Wallach » Fri Jan 25, 2013 1:37 am
Hey Nisagl,

Yes, as I said in a previous post.
Hey Nisagl,

I think I already explained this, but...

You can't say "One of the students who were sick..."

Why not? Because the subject of that verb is "one."
Cool?

-t
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by nisagl750 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 1:45 am
Yes
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