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245
“Fathers and Sons” is the most popular of Turgenev’s novels.
Note:
However, the titles of some works which are collections of stories, etc., may have either a singular or a
plural verb.
The “Canterbury Tales” consist of about seventeen thousand lines of verse.
Turgenev’s "Hunter’s Tales" was/were published in 1852.
Pronouns as subject
§ 62.
1. Indefinite pronouns (somebody, someone, anybody),
universal pronouns (everybody, everyone, everything, each, either),
negative pronouns (nobody, no one, neither, etc.)
take a singular predicate.
Somebody is asking for you.
Nobody has come except me.
Everyone of us is present.
Neither of the students has made a mistake.
Each has answered well.
However, none has a plural verb-predicate.
None were here.
None of us understand it.
None of them have come.
All in the sense of «¸» has a singular verb, while all in the sense of «» takes a plural verb.
All is well that ends well.
All that glitters is not gold.
All were in favour of the plan.
2. Interrogative pronouns who, what take a singular verb-predicate.
Who has come? What is there?
But if the pronoun denotes more than one person or thing a plural verb-predicate is used.
Who are walking in the garden?
Who have agreed to act?
3. With relative pronouns the form of the verb depends on the noun or pronoun which is its antecedent.
Do you know the girl who lives next door?
(The girl lives...)
Do you know the girls who live next door?
(The girls live...)
Mary is one of those girls who never know what they will do next.
Even I, who have seen it all, can hardly believe it.
It is you who are right. It is I who am wrong.