Читайте также:
|
Certain nouns and pronouns called collectives may take either plural or singular verbs as predicates, depending on the meaning being conveyed. If the noun or pronoun is viewed collectively as a unit or expresses an amount or measure, its verb is singular; if viewed as separate items, the verb should be plural.
Examples (correct)
About 3000 tons of oil was produced. (A quantity weighting, in all, about 3000 tons).
At this place, 10 meters of sandstone is exposed. (A single exposure).
Twenty-two grams of sample was dissolved in 20 ml of acid. (A single measurement)
Four-fifths of the country is satisfied with its health insurance. (One part of a whole)
Before 1940, less than 10% of production was from opencast mines (Again one part of a whole)
Tweny thousand US dollars is less than the real cost is (A single sum of money)
The United States protects its natural resources. (One country)
Three samples were placed on the table. (Three individual samples).
None is singular when it means no one or no thing; it is plural when means no persons or no things. Each and every are usually singular in usage.
A singular verb is common in English with a double subject if it is felt to form a whole:
Checking and stamping the forms is the job of the customs authorities.
Verb Tense
Present, past, or future action should be described consistently within the same sentence.
Incorrect: The geoscientist processes the data and stored the file on tape.
Correct: The geoscientist processes the data and stores the file on tape.
Simple past tense is correct for stating what was done, either by others or by you:
The solutions were heated to boiling.
Jones reviewed the literature and gathered much of this information.
We recently found that relativistic effects enhance the bond strength.
The structures were determined by neutron diffraction methods.
Present tense is correct for statements of fact:
Water freezes at 0°C.
Absolute rate constants for a wide variety of reactions are available.
Hyperbranched compounds are macromolecular compounds that contain a branching point in each structural unit.
Present and simple past tenses may both be correct for results, discussion, and conclusions:
The characteristics of the voltammetric wave indicate that electron transfer and breaking of the carbon-iodine bond are concerted.
IR spectroscopy shows that nitrates are adsorbed and are not removed by washing with distilled water.
Tests on core samples confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons.
Use the present perfect tense while presenting a completed study or its results.
The following data have been collected and processed [This implies that now the reader has the results in hands]
Дата добавления: 2015-11-14; просмотров: 72 | Нарушение авторских прав
| <== предыдущая страница | | | следующая страница ==> |
| Parallel Constructions | | | Capitalization |