NOUNS ARTICLES QUANTIFIERS PRONOUNS 3
Compound nouns and noun phrases
The first noun in a compound usually has a singular form, even if it has a plural meaning decision-making
Instead of a compound noun we can use noun + ‘s + noun when the first noun is the user of the second noun:
a women’s clinic, a boys’ school
noun + preposition + noun:
a book about energy conservation, a book about grammar (a grammar book is also common)
We can sometimes use noun + + noun or noun + of + noun with a similar meaning
the charity’s aim or the aim of the charity
We are more likely to use noun + ‘s + noun:
when the first noun refers to a particular person or group of people or to talk about time
Mike’s job, next year’s field trip
We more often use noun + of + noun:
when the second noun is a non-living thing the title of the CD
when we talk about a process or change over time the destruction of the rainforest with a long noun phrase
Mike is the brother of someone! went to school with.
Compounds often combine with other nouns or compounds to form longer combinations:
decision-making process, energy conservation scheme
Subject—verb agreement
Some nouns with a singular form, referring to a group (e.g. government, class, department team), can be used
with either a singular or plural form of the verb, although in formal contexts a singular verb is often preferred:
The government has (or have) introduced some really interesting projects.
We usually use a singular verb:
when names and titles (e.g. of countries, newspapers, books, films) ending in -s refer to a single unit:
The Netherlands has begun to tackle the problem.
with a phrase referring to a measurement, amount or quantity
Only a few miles separates the villages.
after percent (also per cent or %) referring to a singular or uncountable noun:
… 10% of the country’s energy comes from wind power
But if percent refers to a plural noun we use a plural verb:
… 60% of people there are malnourished.
We usually use a plural verb:
with nouns that normally have a plural form: congratulations, outskirts, clothes. But note that the following
nouns ending in -s take a singular verb — news, linguistics, mathematics, physics, politics, statistics and
economics when they refer to the academic subject
Statistics is included in the course. (not StratirstiCS-Oft …)
after a/the majority of, a/the minority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some of + a plural noun / pronoun:
The majority of people there are farmers.
But note that we use a singular verb with the number of
The number of people suffering from malnutrition is increasing.
The following verb must agree with the main noun in a sentence with a complex subject:
Levels of income from the sale of handicrafts have increased.
When the subject follows the verb, the verb agrees with the subject
Among the projects invested in by the government is the use of low-energy fight bulbs.