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Originally Posted by samhy
Maybe that can be of some help. |
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Fractions and percentages take the singular when they modify a mass noun and the plural when they modify a plural noun; either the singular or the plural may be used when they modify a collective noun.
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As an aside, I strongly disagree with the latter part of Mary Nell's point here. The two examples she gives for the point she makes are:
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Sigurd's soccer team is going to the state tournament. (= the team as a whole)
Sigurd's soccer team all have the flu. (= the individual team members)
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For me, the second example is simply wrong, even though it occurs commonly nowadays. It's what I was referring to in my post above, where I said the trend appears to be for the collective to be perceived as meaning the individual members collectively, rather than as a single entity, and is thus given a plural verb. It happens a lot (Microsoft
are releasing a new version of Windows, France
are blocking the Security Council resolution), and to my ear it's wrong every time.
"Sigurd's soccer team" is not the same as "The members of Sigurd's soccer team" or "Sigurd's players", so it shouldn't be grammatically construed as if it were.