Grammar question--care to weigh in?

[Chelle in MO]

Which of these partial sentences is correct and why?

 

1) Years of perfecting our recipes HAS bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

OR

 

2) Years of perfecting our recipes HAVE bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

[regentrude]

I would say the second one - because years is the subject and plural..

 

If you want singular, turn it around and say: "Perfecting our recipes for years HAS bestowed..."

Perfecting ... makes a singular subject.

 

caveat: I am not a native speaker.

Edited January 15, 2011 by regentrude

[Caitilin]

I think it's the first option. It's sort of as if you're saying "[the period of] years spent perfecting...has, etc" . The years are not being thought of individually, but rather as a whole, as you might say, " the decade we have spent perfecting has...."

 

We had a similar discussion a couple of months ago, I think, though I can't remember what it was about. :tongue_smilie:

[extendedforecast]

Years HAVE...

 

Years is plural.

[Caitilin]

Years HAVE...

 

Years is plural.

 

Yes, but in this case, I think the years are acting like a singular unit of time, and are not being considered in a one-after-the-other fashion.

[Brenda in FL]

Option 2

[extendedforecast]

Yes, but in this case, I think the years are acting like a singular unit of time, and are not being considered in a one-after-the-other fashion.

 

I hadn't read the replies and didn't consider the above. I'm going to look it up in my MLA guide. BRB...

 

Okay, so collectively, are the years a single unit or are they individual? I agree that the word 'years' in this sentence is used as a unit, therefore I change my answer to HAS. Thanks Caitlin. I knew this once upon a time, I just forgot.

Edited January 16, 2011 by extendedforecast

[Perry]

nm

I don't know what I'm talking about. :D

Edited January 16, 2011 by Perry

[Chelle in MO]

Yes, but in this case, I think the years are acting like a singular unit of time, and are not being considered in a one-after-the-other fashion.

 

Thanks, everyone! I was going back and forth on it because the subject and verb didn't agree in my mind, but I wondered if it was like you're saying, Caitilin. Like saying, "THIS ONE THING has bestowed upon us..."

 

I love grammar! :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=qlxDqB4ldx4C&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=the+20+dollars+is+grammar&source=bl&ots=WOKHa_fkA-&sig=h0-WmAT4l0RM0tLO-eJYvrvD8JQ&hl=en

[Chris in VA]

Get rid of the prepositional phrase and it becomes clear.

[Perry]

.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Perry

[Word Nerd]

I wouldn't say either: "We have spent years perfecting our recipes..." (I'd get rid of the "bestowed upon" fluff words altogether.)

[Mama2Many4]

I also say number 2

[Chelle in MO]

Thanks, you guys! The wording was on a Domino's Pizza box--Years of perfecting our recipes HAS bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

It was really bugging me! I just had to see what you guys said.

[EKS]

Which of these partial sentences is correct and why?

 

1) Years of perfecting our recipes HAS bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

OR

 

2) Years of perfecting our recipes HAVE bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

#2

 

Years is the subject. Of perfecting our recipes is a prepositional phrase. Have agrees with the subject years. Mistakenly agreeing the verb with the object of the preposition directly before it is a common mistake.

[nd293]

Which of these partial sentences is correct and why?

 

1) Years of perfecting our recipes HAS bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

OR

 

2) Years of perfecting our recipes HAVE bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

Hoping I don't make an idiot of myself and that a year of MCT grammar has paid off ... definitely the second. Your basic sentence is "Years HAVE bestowed." The phrase "of perfecting our recipes" is the prepositional phrase, as is "upon us". You relate the verb to the subject (i.e. "HAVE" to "years") and not to the prepositional phrase.

 

Am I right? Am I right?

[StephanieZ]

Which of these partial sentences is correct and why?

 

1) Years of perfecting our recipes HAS bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

OR

 

2) Years of perfecting our recipes HAVE bestowed upon us...blah, blah, blah.

 

Definitely #2. Subject = Years, Subj is plural so verb MUST be plural, so HAVE, not has.

[extendedforecast]

Years of working out HAS paid off.

 

Years of working out have paid off.

 

Which one? I'm still thinking the first one is correct in the original sentence and also in this one.

[abbeyej]

Yes, but in this case, I think the years are acting like a singular unit of time, and are not being considered in a one-after-the-other fashion.

 

I don't think that's clear from the sentence. You could say "this collection of years" HAS, "this series of years" HAS, but there's no indication within the sentence that "years" is anything but "years" here. It's still a plural subject in this case.

[Mejane]

Years HAVE...

 

Years is plural.

 

:iagree:but I'm no grammarian. It just sounds right.

[plansrme]

"Years" in this case is an expression of quantity, such as "a lot of." Whether an expression of quantity, other than "one of," "each of" and "every," takes a singular or plural verb is determined by the noun that follows it. In this case, the determining noun is "perfecting," which is singular, thus "has."

 

That said, "bestowed upon" is just wrong. Something is bestowed if it is given. You bestow gifts. Years of perfecting recipes results in or leads to or earns you whatever; perfecting is incapable of bestowing anything.

 

Terri

[Mergath]

Number two. The first option makes my ears itch. With some sentences, you can fiddle with endless grammar rules all you like, but in the end it's better to go with what sounds correct. Of course, I'm a writer, not a grammarian, so I may not be the best person to give advice on the subject.

[Pretty in Pink]

I think both can be justified but the second sounds better. Both sentences are superfluous and annoying!

[abbeyej]

"Years" in this case is an expression of quantity, such as "a lot of." Whether an expression of quantity, other than "one of," "each of" and "every," takes a singular or plural verb is determined by the noun that follows it. In this case, the determining noun is "perfecting," which is singular, thus "has."

 

"A lot", "one", "each", and "every" are all singular. "Years" simply isn't. "A lot of years" or "each of the years" would certainly be singular. "Years of perfecting" isn't.

[amydavis]

"A lot", "one", "each", and "every" are all singular. "Years" simply isn't. "A lot of years" or "each of the years" would certainly be singular. "Years of perfecting" isn't.

 

:iagree:

[plansrme]

"A lot", "one", "each", and "every" are all singular. "Years" simply isn't. "A lot of years" or "each of the years" would certainly be singular. "Years of perfecting" isn't.

 

Why, pray tell, can "years of" not be an expression of quantity, as "lot of," "some of" or "all of"?

 

ETA: "A lot," unlike some other expressions of quantity, such as each, can take either a plural or singular verb. For example:

 

A lot of practice is good. (expression of quantity+ noncount noun= always singular verb)

A lot of bars are unsanitary. (expression of quantity+ plural count noun= plural verb)

 

Terri

Edited January 17, 2011 by plansrme

[mcconnellboys]

I agree that it should be "years have" as subject and verb. Even if you reword the sentence so that recipes becomes the subject, the verb would still be "have".

 

Our recipes, perfected over the years, have bestowed.....

[at the beach]

"Years" in this case is an expression of quantity, such as "a lot of." Whether an expression of quantity, other than "one of," "each of" and "every," takes a singular or plural verb is determined by the noun that follows it. In this case, the determining noun is "perfecting," which is singular, thus "has."

 

That said, "bestowed upon" is just wrong. Something is bestowed if it is given. You bestow gifts. Years of perfecting recipes results in or leads to or earns you whatever; perfecting is incapable of bestowing anything.

 

Terri

 

I agree with you on "has." I would have never given any thought to "bestowed upon" being wrong, but your explanation makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing. I learn something new here all the time.