|
 |
Tricky situation: "is" vs "are" | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| abitdodgy Newbie Brazil Joined 5367 days ago 2 posts - 3 votes | Message 1 of 29 16 March 2010 at 4:34pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
Hello all,
Can someone tell me the correct form for the following sentence? 1. Languages is my hobby 2. Languages are my hobby Should the verb follow "languages" or "hobby"? Taking this a step further, if we add the verb studying to the sentence, it becomes clear that we must use is. Studying requires a singular form of the verb. Can we apply this same logic to the sentence above? Studying languages is my hobby Many thanks! 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5585 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 2 of 29 16 March 2010 at 4:46pm | IP Logged | |||||
"Studying languages is my hobby" é correcto :) também, tu usas o plural "are" quando o sujeito é plural. se estudias uma língua, usas "is", mais se estudias mas de uma língua, usas "are" Languages are my hobby = :) Languages is my hobby = :( Studying languages is my hobby = :) The verb should follow "languages" Meu portugues nao é muito bem, mais espero que entendermi :D :) -Jordan 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6011 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 3 of 29 16 March 2010 at 5:05pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
Neither sounds good.
*Languages is my hobby is wrong, plain and simple. Languages are my hobby... Well, consider: Languages are my favourite things, not *Languages are my favourite thing. Languages are my hobbies would also be wrong, as it would describe each language as though it was a distinct hobby. You have already answered your own question -- we often use an "-ing" noun for hobbies, because an "ing" word is an activity, and hobbies are activities, not objects. However, we'd be more likely to say it the other way round: My hobby is studying languages. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6439 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 4 of 29 16 March 2010 at 5:15pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
"Languages are my hobby" is perfectly fine, despite what Cainntear said.
6 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Paskwc Pentaglot Senior Member Canada Joined 5677 days ago 450 posts - 624 votes Speaks: Hindi, Urdu*, Arabic (Levantine), French, English Studies: Persian, Spanish | Message 5 of 29 16 March 2010 at 5:36pm | IP Logged | |||||
"Languages are my hobby" will be understood, but is not correct. Hobbies are activities, not objects. Would it be correct to say "coins are my hobby" if you're a coin-collector or "swims are my hobby" if you're a swimmer? Edited by Paskwc on 16 March 2010 at 5:43pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Woodpecker Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5811 days ago 351 posts - 590 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (Written), Arabic (Egyptian) Studies: Arabic (classical) | Message 6 of 29 16 March 2010 at 5:49pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
I don't believe there's any rule that says that a hobby must be some form of verbal activity. The word itself is usually defined as an activity or an interest. However, I'm very, very far from my Garner, so I can't really be sure. Does anybody have a good reference grammar on hand?
Of the two, obviously "languages are my hobby" is much more correct. One could say, for example, "dogs are my passion" or "essays are my bane" without too much worry. English isn't very strict about number agreement between subject and predicate, the verb just has to agree with the subject. Edit: And Cainntear, I would probably say, "Languages are my favorite thing," because I would be talking about them in a collective sense. "Languages are my favorite things" sounds odd to me. Edited by Woodpecker on 16 March 2010 at 5:51pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Volte Tetraglot Senior Member Switzerland Joined 6439 days ago 4474 posts - 6726 votes Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 7 of 29 16 March 2010 at 6:54pm | IP Logged | |||||
"Coins are my hobby" is fine. I'm a native English speaker, and I will actively reject any proscriptive rule which claims it's not. You can also say "wine is my hobby" if you collect wine, "cars are my hobby", and so forth. "Swimming is my hobby" would be better for swimming. 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| IronFist Senior Member United States Joined 6437 days ago 663 posts - 941 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Japanese, Korean | Message 8 of 29 16 March 2010 at 7:45pm | IP Logged | |||||
|
Question: "What is your favorite hobby?"
Answer: "(studying) languages!" "(Studying) Languages is my favorite hobby." You know, I bet this is the kind of thing they put on a test for people learning English and then the teachers make a big deal out of it when no one understands it. Like, "Circle one: Languages [is/are] my hobby." And I bet in 50% of cases the teachers can't even explain why one of those might be wrong. Edited by IronFist on 16 March 2010 at 7:49pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
