Re: simple present: third person singular verb without -s

On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 07:55:57 +0100, Ian Noble
<fredd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

On Sat, 7 Apr 2007 10:05:09 -0400, "Don Phillipson"
<d.phillipsonSPAMBLOCK@xxxxxx> wrote:


"Shine" <shineraju@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1175952830.299251.69650@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi friends,

There is this picture in my grammar book* in which three friends are
having a conversation. Here is the transcript of their conversation:

Friend of Vicky 1: WHAT are you looking FOR, Vicky?
Vicky: My money. I don't know if I've got enough.
Friend of Vicky 2: WHAT are you worrying ABOUT? It's free, look.

The picture/conversation is followed by a small description of grammar
by the author:

'Daniel and Rachel each ask Vicky a question. In each question, the
word WHAT is the object of a preposition (FOR, ABOUT).'

Provided it is not a typo, why doesn't the verb 'ask' take an s-ending
in the sentence above?

Congratulations on your sharp eye -- because you have
spotted an error in this textbook. The word EACH tells
us that the verb ASK should be in the singular ASKS,
not the plural DANIEL AND RACHEL ASK.

There is an American/British difference in the methods
of counting groups as singular or plural. E.g. correct
usage is "Congress has decided" and "Parliament
have decided." But this does not apply in your textbook
example. The author erred.

I disagree. 'Daniel and Rachel each asks Vicky a question' is so
wrong to my ears that it's untrue. "Daniel and Rachel" is plural. If
you're honestly saying it sounds right in AmE, I'm amazed, verging on
gobsmacked.

Cheers - Ian
(BrE: Yorks., Notts., Hants.)

It's one of those cases where being right and sounding
right are not the same. To my American ear, "A and B each
asks" sounds wrong even though I believe it's right. It's a
construction to be avoided on the familiar principle that
you should avoid distracting attention from what you're
saying to how you're saying it.

"A and B both ask" sounds right and is right. It's the
natural and preferable wording.

.

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