Gmw, I see your point but the subject of a sentence and the meaning behind are two different things. That being said, I would probably use the plural when speaking because there isn't much time to think about it, and the singular when writing because the subject stands out quite easily when words are on a paper.
So if I understand you well, going back to my examples you would go for the second one, since obviously there isn't one only reader involved, right?
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Originally Posted by samhy
In French, both would be okay, even though one way may be more right  For example, we can say
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The majority of the readers agrees with the publisher.
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( correct grammar wise since the subject of the sentence is "the majority")
as well as
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The majority of the readers agree with the publisher.
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( okay since the theme of the sentence clearly states there are more than one reader). |