The Public Doesn't or don;t?????

[Istaron]

Well, "public" is ONE large group. You are refering to the group, not the individuals within.
I mean, you do also say "an atom doesn't", even though the atom has several particels within

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We call him Bobby Corwen

[Father Bronze]

Originally posted by Rikard: okay this is a small piece of the Dutch School Exam of 1997 English a story about interactive Shopping And i quote "Retailers will re-learn an old lesson: consumers prefer shops that do not treat them like cattle. If ____10____ helps wipe out those who ignore that lesson it will be a dream come true." 10 [] -- A -- interactivity -- B -- nostalgia -- C -- Politocs -- D -- The shopping public I answered D and A appeares the answer, I'm ok with that but my teacher no claims "the shopping public helps" is impossible and she did that with a "haha i know stuff better then you do" kinda smile so i love to prove her wrong

I wouldn't eliminate your response on the grounds of subject-verb agreement. By referring to the shopping public as "helps," your are using "public" in the singular. You are discussing what the actions of each individual within that group could do if they chose different shopping patterns.

I don't know if it was a typo, but you don't want "The" capitalized in response D.

I found the question very confusing. Is there more? or is that it? I have a difficult time figuring out who is going to be wiped out by whom. I find it hard to believe that "interactivity" is going to wipe someone out. Likewise, I find it just as unbelievable that the shopping public will wipe people out (imagining little shoppers running around with machine guns and such ).

I feel sorry for you if this is the type of question you have to deal with on a regular basis. Where's the real grammar?



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Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

"The only medicine for suffering, crime, and all the other woes of mankind, is wisdom." -- Thomas Huxley

Originally posted by Father Bronze: I wouldn't eliminate your response on the grounds of subject-verb agreement. By referring to the shopping public as "helps," your are using "public" in the singular. You are discussing what the actions of each individual within that group could do if they chose different shopping patterns. I don't know if it was a typo, but you don't want "The" capitalized in response D. I found the question very confusing. Is there more? or is that it? I have a difficult time figuring out who is going to be wiped out by whom. I find it hard to believe that "interactivity" is going to wipe someone out. Likewise, I find it just as unbelievable that the shopping public will wipe people out (imagining little shoppers running around with machine guns and such ). I feel sorry for you if this is the type of question you have to deal with on a regular basis. Where's the real grammar?

there's a whole text in front of this
I'll give you a summery

Interactive shopping is going to be very populair anytime soon as the public wants to see and feel the products
normal supermarkets and mall will survive as they provide better service

"Those" are all retailers

and the real grammer?
well we get questions like this to test both our vocabulary as out grammer




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I'm Watching you...

Let the lymie in.

~swaggers in~

the public DON'T

sorry - who said our language was consitent was dreaming

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Lord Raptor's Site


Ironworks Dark General
BG2 Tavern Keeper
King of Pointlessness

Originally posted by Lord Shield: Let the lymie in. ~swaggers in~ the public DON'T sorry - who said our language was consitent was dreaming

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO




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I'm Watching you...

[Sazerac]

Originally posted by Father Bronze: I wouldn't eliminate your response on the grounds of subject-verb agreement. By referring to the shopping public as "helps," your are using "public" in the singular. You are discussing what the actions of each individual within that group could do if they chose different shopping patterns. I don't know if it was a typo, but you don't want "The" capitalized in response D. I found the question very confusing. Is there more? or is that it? I have a difficult time figuring out who is going to be wiped out by whom. I find it hard to believe that "interactivity" is going to wipe someone out. Likewise, I find it just as unbelievable that the shopping public will wipe people out (imagining little shoppers running around with machine guns and such ). I feel sorry for you if this is the type of question you have to deal with on a regular basis. Where's the real grammar?

FB, it sounds more like one of those "reading comprehension" questions that the test-creators of the SAT and other standardized exams just love to throw out examiners. I used to hate those things, because I always read more into the question than they wanted, or came up with a perfectly logical conclusion (but one that was wrong in their book.)

Here's an example of another ridiculous question: "The opposite of Heaven is:___________________".

Now, most people would answer "Hell", naturally. Not so...the makers of the SAT have deemed that the opposite of Heaven is "Earth". Well, that's arguable, but is it any more or less correct? Why should someone be penalized because of an opinion which is NOT a point of logic, if that is indeed what the test is purporting to measure?

GRRRR....I think you can tell how I feel about standardized tests! My sympathies are with you, Rikard.



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I know who you are...I saw what you did!

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Diogenes Of Pumpkintown: At last we agree on something, Yorick. It's strange, I get the feeling about you that we have much in common in our world views, but it seems that we are more often at loggerheads on the forum.

And why is that do you think?


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I am the walrus!.... er, no hang on....

A fair dinkum laughing Hyena!

[Fljotsdale]

Originally posted by Father Bronze: Public falls into one of those strange categories called "collective nouns." Collective nouns can be either singular or plural (examples include: audience, team, group, committee, public, . . .). For purposes of subject-verb agreement, collective nouns can be considered either plural or singular -- depending on how the writer thinks of the sentence .

Just what I was going to say, only you did it more thoroughly! Context is all.


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[Fljotsdale]

Originally posted by Rikard: okay this is a small piece of the Dutch School Exam of 1997 English a story about interactive Shopping And i quote "Retailers will re-learn an old lesson: consumers prefer shops that do not treat them like cattle. If ____10____ helps wipe out those who ignore that lesson it will be a dream come true." 10 [] -- A -- interactivity -- B -- nostalgia -- C -- Politocs -- D -- The shopping public I answered D and A appeares the answer, I'm ok with that but my teacher no claims "the shopping public helps" is impossible and she did that with a "haha i know stuff better then you do" kinda smile so i love to prove her wrong

Well, speaking with my English Lang&Lit Graduate hat on, it HAS to be 'D'. None of the others makes much sense in the context.



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[Fljotsdale]

Originally posted by Rikard: there's a whole text in front of this I'll give you a summery Interactive shopping is going to be very populair anytime soon as the public wants to see and feel the products normal supermarkets and mall will survive as they provide better service "Those" are all retailers and the real grammer? well we get questions like this to test both our vocabulary as out grammer

In that case, 'interactivity' is correct. There are times when you need the entire context before you can draw the right conclusions about anything. I answered this in bits before reading the whole thread. Sorry!

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[This message has been edited by Fljotsdale (edited 09-27-2001).]