Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T14:07:48.692Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - Consistency: number and tenses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2014

Neville W. Goodman
Affiliation:
Southmead Hospital, Bristol
Andy Black
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
Get access

Summary

It is remarkably easy not to say what you mean.

(D. R. Appleton. Cross words. BMJ. 1994; 309: 1737.)

Number: singular or plural?

Errors in which singular subjects govern plural verbs, or vice versa, are examples of what grammarians refer to as errors of concord. Concord – agreement – between subject and verb is the most important type. Mistakes occur most commonly with either . . . or, neither . . . nor, none, in lists, and with collective nouns (particularly when the noun is separated from the verb by a long clause). The error that many people seem to know about, but that is of little importance, is the one made with the word data.

EITHER . . . OR, NEITHER . . . NOR, EACH

In Either Mr A is a liar, or Ms B is psychotic the verb is repeated and there is no confusion: the verb is singular. It is also singular if one or the other is the subject of the same verb: Either Mr A or Ms B is psychotic. Neither behaves the same: Neither Mr A nor Ms B is psychotic. These constructions cannot be applied to more than two choices.

When one of the choices is singular and the other plural, write the plural noun second: Neither the doctor nor the nurses are responsible . . . . The plural noun then governs the verb by the principle of proximity.

In speech, the plural is more natural when either . . . or or neither . . . nor is used.

Each implies a consideration of things taken one at a time and is singular: Each patient was asked . . . . The mistake is likely with the construction Each of the patients . . . when were is more natural but was is correct. Correcting the error of style (. . . of the . . . is unnecessary) makes the mistake less likely and is a good example of how good style can lead naturally to correct grammar.

Type
Chapter
Information
Medical Writing
A Prescription for Clarity
, pp. 226 - 231
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×