Dear all,
Since Ron has not posted his reading summary for Blog 1, he lost 30 points, and I am posting the summary of the other ENGL300 section. It was done by Shanaka Adams. You have time to respond to it on Friday, Sept. 3rd, when class is canceled, and during the weekend. It is due on Monday, Sept. 6th, at class start.
Here is Sylvia Chalker's protest article again, which you've all read (it is published on our website).
Before you get too excited about Sylvia Chalker's (not so bad) ideas, be aware that WHO is, in fact, really followed by verbs in SINGULAR, according to existing grammar rules. Even if she offers plausible reasons why, logically, plural might be better in some cases, she did NOT create a new grammar rule ;-)
Here is the ORIGINAL ARTICLE written by Geoffrey Leech that Sylvia Chalker was so upset about (just one page).
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Blog 1: Summary of Sylvia Chalker's, "Is WHO Really Singular?"
Chalker's article examines the role of "who" in certain grammatical situations. She argues that Professor Leech's view that a probing "who" as a subject is a singular verb even when a plural answer can be given. He suggests that in this instance the "who" is singular and if used as a plural, it is grammatically incorrect. The author of "Is WHO really singular", disagrees. She states that both singular and plural verbs are acceptable and okay to use if necessary to indicate a plural answer. She argues that the interrogative "who" isn't just grammatically singular or plural but the actual link to the meaning of it in a sentence. "Who" as a subject can convey various meanings in a sentence whether singular or plural.
One of my greatest errors in dealing with grammar is my tendency to write what "feels" right and what seems to work.That said, I often "wing it" when it comes to how "who" is used in sentences. I aggree with the author that "the meaning of who in many such sentences is indefinite." What is definite is that we should be aware of the rules of using who/whom in right context, but we should also be aware of how we write so that we are understood.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "who" can be used in any form whether its singular or plural. However, when i write, sentences usually are formed on how i speak. I know i don't always speak correct grammar, so i get confused on whats right and whats wrong because of how i speak so its kind of hard for me to decide becuase i get confused myself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author, that who is often used as a singular and as a plural. I usually write how I would speak. I tend to choose the word that feels right, however its not always the "correct" choice. I think a lot of Americans unknowingly use the word, "who" in the wrong tenses regularly. I think English is adapting everyday, but I also think we should stick to the routes of what the language is based upon. Today who sounds correct in both forms, but maybe only because so many people miss use it in their writing.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that who can be both plural and singular. Before this class I was guilty of choosing the wrong word, simply because I chose the word that felt right. So when we learned about who and whom it was definitely a rude awakening :). I agree with the author that the structure of the sentence determines whether "who" is singular or plural.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the article that in today's society "who" is commonly used as both plural and singular forms. However, I feel that we should know the difference for when to use who and whom even though it isn't commonly used today. By being educated in this area, it can lead to more opportunities such as job opportunities. If you know when to use these forms, you may stand a better chance of acquiring a job that you applied for because you already appear smarter than your peers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article somewhat. "Who" can be used in the plural sense, just as in the singular. But I think the sentence needs to be tweaked accordingly. So I would say that I'm on the fence about it.
ReplyDeleteSylvia Chalker makes some intriguing points in her article; however, I cannot completely agree with her arguments. Who, in itself, is normally phrased within a question. Since the answers to most questions are generally unknown to the asker, then it would seem logical for who to inherently engage a singular nature to avoid confusion. In other words, the asker cannot assume that an unknown answer will be plural or singular. The constant singular nature, in my opinion, allows for the simple formation of a question. However, I appreciate that she has noted a disconnection in grammar rules that is uncommonly acknowledged. I am interested to note if who ever manifests in its plural form during normal conversation.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Elizabeth. As I was reading the article, I was thinking some of the same things as she posted. If somebody asks a question, they obviously do not know the answer. If the question starts with "Who", then the person responding would answer with a singular form. People still get mixed up when wondering what tense they should really use the word "Who" in. It is a confusing matter, and often times just left up to the person speaking.
ReplyDeleteWho does not sound right when used plurally. To many people this can be an unacceptable reason for who to only be used in the singular form. My response to that is that many things in the English language do not make sense. There are always exceptions to every rule. How sentences sound in a spoken language is very important. I think who is always singular because it doesn't sound right when plural. I will go as far as to say that if the rule was who could be used as a singular and a plural that many people would not use it as a plural because it would not sound correct to them. Due to the sound of who as a plural many people would be confused about how to use the word and would simply use it as a singular because as many of my peers have stated people just "wing-it" and choose what sounds best to them when it comes to grammatical issues.
ReplyDeleteEven though I am probably guilty of using "who" as both singular and plural, I feel that we should stick with the rules that we already have in place. I do however, feel that this rule may change in the future because that is what happens with grammar: change. I can see where she is coming from though because "who" being used in mostly question form, it can be followed by singular or plural forms making "who" in turn both singular and plural. However, knowing the rules of how to use "who" and also "whom" is a must when striving to write grammatically correct.
ReplyDeleteI am always using Who in both plural and singular but do not feel that there should really be rules on it since it has been something that has been used for so long and that as long as people understand what you are saying should not be a problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree that who can be used as singular or plural. However, I tend to write as if I were speaking which is not always grammatically correct. I think that even though many people do not follow the grammar rules for "who", they should take the initiative to attempt to learn them so that the knowledge is there.
ReplyDeleteI believe who has always been used as singular and plural. I don't understand why it would be grammatically wrong. Sometimes, I believe there are so many rules in the English language that people get confused, and we should just leave the rules that are in place alone. When I am writing, I am very aware of my grammar and try to write correctly.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that who can used both singular and plural but if I don't stop and think, I will only used it in a singular tense. It doesn't feel right using who as a plural form but you find out young that the English language doesn't work the way you want it to be.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the article that who can be used as singular and plural. But as Alex was saying before me I did use to only use who as singular, because I would go by what sounds good to me. However, from the previous english courses I took, I've learned that you cant go be what sounds right.
ReplyDeleteSylvia did make some valid points but I would have to disagree with her when she said that "who" could be used as singular and plural. "who" in plural form just doesn't sound grammatically correct. When it comes to using "who" we should know how to use this in the correct tense, but at times we all have used the word Inaccurately which is why we my get confused in which tense to correctly use it in. So in my opinion the word "who" is without a doubt singular, but it can be used to describe groups collectively the same way that "you" can be used to refer to one or many persons.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Who can be used a both plural and singular. It's all about context when it comes to what you're saying, I think. It fits into both categories. But, now I know when not to use who and when to use whom after our lesson.
ReplyDeleteI agree and both disagree with the author. I can see what she means in certain situtations. However, the goal of singular and plural subjects is to make the entire sentence agree gramatically and not in all situations would who agree to being singular. If indeed it did it would not have been a grammar rule but since we do not always use correct grammar when speaking and writing I understand her argument.
ReplyDeleteThis is one word that even when used incorrectly seems to go unnoticed. But, I do agree with the author that 'who' can be and is used as both singular and plural depending on who you are talking to and where you are speaking.
ReplyDeleteI know that I for one will use incorrect grammar unknowingly because I like most people, write how I speak. "Who" is a singular word. When you think about it logically "who" just describes one person. I know that it may not always sound right but sometimes correct grammar sounds wrong because we are so used to speaking it incorrectly.
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