Business Writing Tips - Sentence Structure

Which is correct, "A number of staff was available at all times" or "A number of staff were available at all times?"

When the article a is used with number, number is plural. Therefore, you should use were in that sentence: "A number of staff were available at all times."

Because of the complexity of the English language, as shown in the example above, lack of subject-verb agreement is one of the most common grammar errors in business documents.

This series will help you increase your knowledge of 12 essential subject-verb agreement rules. We'll start with the first two rules:

1. Make every verb agree in number with its subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb; if the subject is plural, use a plural verb.
   
   Examples:
   This computer (singular) is (singular) advanced.
   
   These computers (plural) are (plural) advanced.
2. Find the subject of the sentence, and make the verb agree with it. Do not be misled by words or phrases that come between the subject and the verb.
   NOTE: Often the phrases that come between the subject and the verb are prepositional phrases. Learn to recognize these common prepositions:
   
   

   about	above	across	after	along	among	around	at
   before	behind	below	beneath	beside	between	beyond	but (except)
   by	down	during	except	for	from	in	into
   like	of	off	on	over	past	since	through
   to	toward	under	until	unto	up	upon	with

   Those prepositions and the nouns that follow them (objects of the prepositions) are prepositional phrases. Objects of prepositions cannot be subjects.
   
   Examples:
   The letter (singular) to the editors is (singular to agree with letter) ready.
   
   The copiers (plural) in Operations are (plural to agree with copiers) better than those in our area.

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This edition was adapted from our Business Grammar Program. Previous editions may be read at this location. To receive this free weekly e-mail, select the newsletter option at www.uliveandlearn.com/userjoin.cfm.