Here we are faced with a grammatical class, now represented by numerals, which, similarly to others that make up this modality, have distinct features. Based on this premise, the article in question aims to discuss the word “million”, which, without any doubt, is the target of some questions on the part of language users.
First of all, it is relevant to understand that the term in reference is classified as a noun numeral, that is, it has gender and number own, which distinguishes it from "thousand", now classified as an adjective numeral, whose characteristic is revealed by always appearing related to a substantive. For that reason, we say "The Million Square Meters", but we only say "The Thousand Girls". In the first, the article “os” determines “millions”; in the second, the article “as” determines “girls”.
Another particularity that refers to the element is manifested by the verbal agreement. How should we say:
"About a million inhabitants reside in that city"
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Or
“About a million inhabitants reside in that city”?
For our happiness, it is worth mentioning that both forms are correct. This statement is confirmed when we verify that “million” represents the core of the subject (about one million inhabitants). Therefore, the agreement is given by this aspect, that is, as it appears expressed in the singular, the verb then agrees with it.
However, as the term “inhabitants” is demarcated in the plural, the agreement of the verb (reside) is done in an attractive way, remaining in the plural.
We found that in both cases the subject precedes the verb. However, when the opposite occurs (the verb precedes it), such flexibilities are not possible, since, if thus, the proximity of the verb to the pluralized term disappears - perfectly observable in constructions of the type:
One million inhabitants reside in that city.
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "The word million... unraveling trivia "; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/a-palavra-milhao-desvendando-curiosidades.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
