Note the sentences below and reflect on the proposed questions:
The) Did most people miss or miss the meeting?
B) Do most individuals suffer or suffer from stress today?
ç) Have most of the children been or were they playing?
d) Did most of the unit owners accept or accept the proposal?
and) Some of the entrepreneurs started or started with little money?
Which do you think is right: placing the verb in the singular or plural?
For a better understanding, let's select one of the prayers above:
Most of the peoplemissed or missed the meeting.
Note that the subject “Most people” has the nucleus in the singular: majority. However, the latter is followed by a plural word: people.
We call “partitive collective” the term in the plural (persons, individuals, children, unit owners, entrepreneurs, employees, etc.) in association with the nucleus of the subject in the singular that expresses quantity (part, majority).
When this occurs, the agreement can be made either with the subject's head and then it will be singular or with the noun after the head and therefore it will be plural.
Thus: MOST PEOPLE MISSED the meeting or Most PEOPLE MISSED the meeting.
However, it is important to remember that verbal agreement in SINGULAR is preferred by the cultured norm and also more common in communication vehicles.
Therefore, always choose to say: Most individuals suffer from stress these days;
Most children have already gone to play; Most of the tenants accepted the proposal and Part of the entrepreneurs started with little money and Most politicians are arrogant and pretentious.
NOTE:
1. Never use the expression “the vast majority”, as it is redundant, if it is large, it is already a majority. Choose one: either large or majority.
2. When the expression of quantity (majority, part) is not followed by a plural noun (people, employees, students, teachers, etc.), the verb is singular: Most are formed! Most of them don't have studies!
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Sabrina Vilarinho
Graduated in Letters
Brazil School Team
See more!
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Grammar - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
VILARINHO, Sabrina. "Most, big part, most, good part, part"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/a-maioria-grande-parte-maior-parte-boa-parte-parte.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
