Is This Grammatically Correct?

[jingjingna]

Each of the staff members are required to complete the form.

OR

Each staff member is required to complete the form.

I am swaying towards the second sentence but feel free to correct me. (By the way, using British English)

Thanks!

[ajarnmark]

Each of the staff members are required to complete the form.

OR

Each staff member is required to complete the form.

I am swaying towards the second sentence but feel free to correct me. (By the way, using British English)

Thanks!

Second one is correct, coz you are referring to EACH (single) of the staff memebers and NOT to the MEMBERS (multiple), so it has to be the 2nd sentence.

[crowbait]

Each of the staff members are required to complete the form.

OR

Each staff member is required to complete the form.

I am swaying towards the second sentence but feel free to correct me. (By the way, using British English)

Thanks!

Each staff member is required..................is correct, because each is singular and is is the third person singular of the verb.

In the first case, "Each of the staff members are required to complete the form". the complication you have added means that it is more difficult to tell whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural.........in this case it is still singular and therefore, it is incorrect because it still requires the singular part of the verb.

To say this in the plural, you would say "Staff members are required to complete the form". or you could say, in emphasis, "All staff members are required to complete the form"

There is a difference in UK english and US english with the word staff...............in the US, staff is singular and therefore the verb needs to be singular ie. "Staff is required to complete the form", whereas in the good old UK, we would say "Staff are required to complete the form".....................at least, that's what my Word spellchecker keeps telling me!

[Ijustwannateach]

Some good practical explanations here of COLLECTIVE NOUNS, which may be either singular or plural depending on the emphasis, e.g.:

The band are not all from Sweden. (In this case, the emphasis is on differences within the group, therefore "band" is grammatically plural).

The band is one of Sweden's most popular. (In this case, the sentence applies the same way to each band member, therefore "band" is grammatically singular).

However, one of the types of sentences above doesn't need this explanation (as has already been pointed out):

Each of the band is 25 years old. (In this case, "the band" is not even the subject- the verb must match the subject, which is the singular "each.")

"S"

[Rinrada]

is...is correct...

[jingjingna]

Okay guys, need some more help:

How about:

a) The small pupil identification number is shown below.

The design of computer systems are always carried out by qualified engineers.

c)The procedures are enclosed for staff use; they are coloured grey.

[Neeranam]

Okay guys, need some more help:

How about:

a) The small pupil identification number is shown below.

The design of computer systems are always carried out by qualified engineers.

c)The procedures are enclosed for staff use; they are coloured grey.

They all seem very wrong to me. I'll let the experts explain why.

[Etrigan]

a. small pupils as opposed to large ones. Use preposition phrase with "id no. of small pupils"

b. Design should be plural to match plural verb. Designs can not be "carried out"

c. Prep phrase should be after subject. Confusion with "grey" - staff or procedures?

I now realise I have been teaching far too long!

[mbkudu]

Okay guys, need some more help:

How about:

a) The small pupil identification number is shown below.

The design of computer systems are always carried out by qualified engineers.

c)The procedures are enclosed for staff use; they are coloured grey.

They're ugly geek-speak sentences that need to be re-written.

1) The identification number is shown below.

2) Qualified engineers design the computer systems.

3) The staff procedures are color coded in gray. (I haven't the slightest idea what this sentence is trying to convey)

Edited October 26, 2007 by mbkudu

[klikster]

There is a difference in UK english and US english with the word staff...............in the US, staff is singular and therefore the verb needs to be singular ie. "Staff is required to complete the form", whereas in the good old UK, we would say "Staff are required to complete the form".....................at least, that's what my Word spellchecker keeps telling me!

From Cambridge Dictionary of American English

staff (PEOPLE)

[show phonetics]

noun [C]

a group of people who work for an organization, often for a special purpose, or who work for a manager within an organization

The coaching staff felt we needed more defense.

She joined the staff of the Smithsonian Institution in 1954.

[mbkudu]

a group of people

To me that means 'staff' is singular. It's also a collective noun meaning a singular entity made up of many members, like a

'flock of geese' or a 'tribe of cannibals.'

[PeaceBlondie]

Okay guys, need some more help:

How about:

a) The small pupil identification number is shown below.

b ) The design of computer systems are always carried out by qualified engineers.

c)The procedures are enclosed for staff use; they are coloured grey.

I love these arguments.....

Agreed, most of these are poorly written, and each uses passive verbs when active verbs would work better.

The second sentence, b, probably has a correct singular noun, so it would be "The design ...is always carried out..." However, the writer probably intended to refer to plural designs.

Procedures are only coloured grey in the UK; in the USA we color them gray.

[jingjingna]

Okay how about these:

1. The team has had many meetings and recommend the following action.

2. The school, which won the competition cheated. (maybe too easy)

3. The surveyor completed a plan working over the weekend.

4. Psychologists who use this assessment frequently can identify problems at an early stage.

5. Heads of Departments must devise a suitable system, as described in the report.

[Loaded]

Okay how about these:

1. The team has had many meetings and recommend the following action.

The team has had many meetings and recommends the following action.

Present Perfect is being used to describe a number of similar actions during the past, but the time period continues to now. Therefore the action 'to recommend' is not a past completed action but an action that infers a future plan. Present Simple can be used to describe formal future actions. For example, 'the train leaves at 7pm'.

2. The school, which won the competition cheated. (maybe too easy)

The school which won the competition cheated.

A defining subject relative clause ('won the competition') so therefore no commas. Only use commas with non-defining relative clauses.

3. The surveyor completed a plan working over the weekend.

Working over the weekend the surveyor completed a plan.

4. Psychologists who use this assessment frequently can identify problems at an early stage.

Depends (commas or not) whether the relative clause is defining Psychologists or whether it's just adding extra information about them.

5. Heads of Departments must devise a suitable system, as described in the report.

Are the Heads responsible for many departments or just one?

[spectrum]

1. The team has had many meetings and recommend the following action.

I think the problem here is the subject-verb agreement. "The team has had" = "the team" is seen as "it" (singular) but in the later part of the sentence "the team" appears to be seen as "they" (plural) with which agrees with "recommend".

"(It) has had ... and (it)recommends ..." is more consistent.

Nonetheless, most of us do commonly make such switches in speech. Very easy to slip from thinking of "the team" as "it" to "the team" as "we/they".

2. The school, which won the competition cheated. (maybe too easy)

The school which won the competition cheated.

A defining subject relative clause ('won the competition') so therefore no commas. Only use commas with non-defining relative clauses.

Should be two commas for the non-defining relative clause, too.

3. The surveyor completed a plan working over the weekend.

Working over the weekend, the surveyor completed a plan.

Agree. Very common in spoken English, though, and usually doesn't cause misunderstanding.

4. Psychologists who use this assessment frequently can identify problems at an early stage.

Use the assessment frequently or can frequently identify problems at an early stage ?

5. Heads of Departments must devise a suitable system, as described in the report.

Need for heads to devise a suitable system, or the suitable system is described in the report ?

Are you doing a TEFL course or is a student torturing you with these questions ?

Edited October 29, 2007 by spectrum

[YangYaiEric]

Each of the staff members are required to complete the form.

OR

Each staff member is required to complete the form.

I am swaying towards the second sentence but feel free to correct me. (By the way, using British English)

Thanks!

I would go with the 2nd. one also; 'each staff member is required to compete the form'.

The 1st. sentence , to me, is grammatically incorrect, and is a prime example of usage by someone whose mother tongue isn't English.

[PeaceBlondie]

I would go with the 2nd. one also; 'each staff member is required to compete the form'.

The 1st. sentence , to me, is grammatically incorrect, and is a prime example of usage by someone whose mother tongue isn't English.

I agree with Eric. Also, the first sentence is a fairly common example of native speakers of English who never knew their grammar well, or who can't follow the number of the subject through the sentence, and are swayed by a plural noun in mid-sentence. "Each of the engineers drawing the plans for the buildings think they are good plans."

[mbkudu]

I would go with the 2nd. one also; 'each staff member is required to compete the form'.

The 1st. sentence , to me, is grammatically incorrect, and is a prime example of usage by someone whose mother tongue isn't English.

I agree with Eric. Also, the first sentence is a fairly common example of native speakers of English who never knew their grammar well, or who can't follow the number of the subject through the sentence, and are swayed by a plural noun in mid-sentence. "Each of the engineers drawing the plans for the buildings think they are good plans."

A good way to not get fooled is to cut the sentence down to its core.

Each engineer thinks the plans are good.

[jingjingna]

Thanks for your assistance guys!

Now, would someone kindly check my sentences and if they are incorrect, please tell me why???

1. Each staff member is required to complete the form (singlular)

2. All staff members are required to complete the form. (plural)

3. The identication number of small pupils is shown below.

4. The identifcation numbers of small pupils is shown below.

5. The designs of computer systems are always done by qualified engineers.

6. Qualified engineers always design the computer systems.

7.The enclosed procedures coloured grey; are for staff use.

8. The team has had many meetings and it recommends the following action:

9. Having held many meetings, the team reccomends the following action:

10. If Psychologists use this assessment frequently, they will be able to identify problems at an early stage.

11. Heads of Departments must use the description in the report to devise a suitable system.

I appreciate your comments/feedback..yes I am studying.

[PeaceBlondie]

Number four appears incorrect: 4. The identification numbers of small pupils is shown below.

It should read, "The identification numbers of small pupils are shown below." Being pedantic, I notice that you left out one letter in 'identification.' The sentence's subject is numbers, a plural subject. Identification is either part of a plural, composite noun, or is used in place of the participial adjective, identifying.

Number seven also has incorrect punctuation: 7.The enclosed procedures coloured grey; are for staff use.

If you are saying it as an appositive, the phrase is separated by commas, "The enclosed procedures, coloured grey, are for staff use." You might also say, "The enclosed grey-coloured procedures are for staff use."

[jingjingna]

Thanks PB...mosy appreciated!

[Neeranam]

8. The team has had many meetings and it recommends the following action:

You don't need 'it'

[stevejones123]

There are three types of subject - verb agreement.

• Grammatical agreement: when the verb agrees in number with the formal number of the subject (in plain English -- singular subject + singular verb; plural subject + plural verb.)
  Notional agreement: when the verb agrees in number with the number of the concept the word describes.
  Proximal agreement: when the verb agrees in number with the nearest noun to the left.
  

Ideally all three of these should be the same. The problems arrive when they are not. This happens with collective nouns, where team or committee can be notionally considered singular or plural, and phrases such as 'none of the .....s', where notional agreement is silent (none is neither singular nor plural) and grammatical and proximal agreement differ (which explains why you have both forms of the verb, with more Americans using the singular than British).

Incidentally in the 'small pupil-identification number requires a 'hyphen, either where I have put it, or, if the number is one for identifying small pupils, between 'small' and 'pupil'.

[PeaceBlondie]

And this begs the question of why anybody bothered to beg the question as a test of English.

Test questions should measure concepts that have substantial value in understanding the material. Answers should clearly only include one "best" answer. Sentences being questioned for usage should be much simpler than 'small pupil identification number.' Are they eye pupils, or entire human being pupils in schools? Are the pupils small, or the identifications small, or the numbers small? Is there ambiguous punctuation, such as the lack or presence of a hyphen?

Test making is difficult, but if tests are worth a satang, they must be accurate.

[mbkudu]

^^^Agreed. Much of the English language testing material I have seen produced here in Thailand and also Singapore is poor because a lot it is just unnatural English that a native English speaker would not use.

Edited November 3, 2007 by mbkudu