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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

These are a series of reasons why we should...

0 Hi,02br
00I'd like some opinions on the expression "series of".02br
02br
01b01font00These are02font00 a series of reasons why we should support open source software/ 01font00Here are02font00 a series of reason why we should support open source software:02br
00- because I said so02br
00- because you'd better do so, or else...02br
00- ...02br
02br
01font00That series02font00 of reasons 01font00are02font00 not enough to convince Bill Mates, however, so either we get rid of him or we all go buy Windows Siesta.02br
02b02br
00Is it ok to use "series" that way, with plural verbs? I considered it a "number-transparent" expression (like CJim says). 02br
00Any advice? Thank you 050010id1
  

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4 Answers
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0 Personally I am anti number transparent but in this case it certainly should be singular:02br
00This is a series of reasons...02br
00Here is a series of reasons...02br
00That series of reasons is not enough...0-
0
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0Kooyeen,02br
02br
00I could still be wrong about “transparent’ context, but this is what I’ve come to understand:02br
02br
00"01font00A series of"02font00 is a 01font00singular02font00 quantifier. 02br
02br
00There 01font
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0 01i00a series of02i00 is not number-transparent. Agreement is with the head.02br
01i00series02i00 is the same in the singular and in the plural, so its modifiers are important in determining matters of agreement.02br
02br
00 Hence, 02br
01i02br
01u00A series02u00 of books o
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0Thanks 05002br
00I thought "series" could be number transparent in some cases...01blockquote
01cite10CalifJim12cite11i12br
11u10A series12u10 of books on horticulture 11u10has12u10 recently appeared.12br
11u10Several series12u10 of books on astronomy
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