singular or plural for the word, sentence

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ansonman
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singular or plural for the word, sentence

Post by ansonman »

Suppose that Jack and I are talking about English prepositions using the three examples below.

(A) There is a black stick on the book.
(B) There is a black stick under the book.
(C) There is a black stick beside the book.

Next, I am telling my other friend what we are doing.

(1) Jack and I are talking about how prepositions change the meaning of the sentence above. (singular)

(2) Jack and I are talking about how prepositions change the meaning of the sentences above. (plural)

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All of my friends are non-native English speakers. Most of them think I should use the singular form of "sentence" because it is the same basic sentence with only the prepositions being changed. However, the rest of my friends think the plural form should be used because the sentences are made different with different prepositions.

Which form of the word, sentence, is correct? Thank you very much.
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Alan
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Re: singular or plural for the word, sentence

Post by Alan »

A philosophical, rather than a grammar, issue.

I would suggest avoiding needless complications by saying simply: '...can change the meaning of sentences/a sentence'.
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