every的用法

tiantian8273

Just share some guidelines for the usage of 'each' & 'every' that I extracted from Manhattan GMAT Verbel Strategy Guide:

''Each'' and ''every'' Signular Sensations

You  just learned that when each or every  is the subject of a sentence, it requires a sigular verb form. The same is true for any subject preceded by the word each or every, For Instance:

1.Every dog HAS paws.

2.Every dog and Cat HAS paws.

3.Each of these shirts IS pretty.

One may mistake the subject of the second and third sentences to be plural. However, because the subject is preceded by each or every,it is considered signuar and therefore requires a singular verb form. Note, however,that when each or every follows a subject, it has no bearing on the verb form. For example:

They each ARE great tennis play.

Here, the plural subject they requires the verb form ARE

So from my understanding,for the answers D & E in OG-89,if we only judge in terms of 'subject-verb agreement' ,the 'has' in E is not gramatically incorrect,yet both answers are flawed for the sentence as a whole because they either fail to use a parallel structure or make comparisons between wrong objects. Both errors are corrected in the best answer C.

In regards to the 'there were' or 'there was' issue, I think the correct choice is dertimined by the actual subject of the sentence.So here computers, rather than the pecentage of computers, is the actual subject of the sentence, and it's illogical to state that 'there was **%...'in the GMAT test because in GMAT 'there be' is normally not used for abstract concepts but for concrete ones. The reason why computers here
        is in plural form is , from my opinion, that the sentence is comparing all the computers owned by students now with those four years ago. 

As for the 'percent' issue discussed in the previous posts, I agree that 'every + Number +Noun'implies certain meanting of percentage,yet to express the same meaning one can use various grammatical structures, for example:

Every 4 students in a class of 16 students HAS three computers/a computer.

one-fourth of the students in a class of 16 students HAVE computers.

Among all the 16 students in the class, 4 (students) of them HAVE computers.

More or less, each of the above three sentences conveys sutle meaning of 'percentage' while the gramatical expressions are different.The key point is what is the real,or say the central subject of each sentence(see words marked in red). Ithink the confusion is generated mainly from the the way how we commonly translate english sentences into chinese ones,a process in which one frequently forcuses more on translating the meaning while neglecting some underlined grammatical elements in the original senttence.

sunnielight

真理不是越辩越明吗？我怎么更晕了

jessica1117

以下是引用ghostlhx在2005-6-11 7:04:00的发言：

now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils是比率的正确表示方法,four times as many as 是修饰前面整个比率的,THERE WERE后省略了microcomputers for pupils

既然 这句话的前半部分已经是“one microcomputer", 后面为什么不可以是there was one microcomputer fur pupils?

请指教：）

lj30633

以下是引用tiantian8273在2006-11-5 10:02:00的发言：

Ithink the confusion is generated mainly from the the way how we commonly translate english sentences into chinese ones,a process in which one frequently forcuses more on translating the meaning while neglecting some underlined grammatical elements in the original senttence.

同意！

cristina310

89. A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were four years ago.
A. there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
B. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
C. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were
D. every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were
E. every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

Can not understand what you discussed. I think that the best answer should be

A recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there was four years ago.

按照句子对仗来说，前后的单复数应该一样，不可能前面单后后面双，或者前面双而后面单啊。而且there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils这个从句中主要指的是one microcomputer，况且every thirty-two pupils应该作为一个整体而不是分开的32个学生，所以为啥要用复数呢？同理，four times as many than there were four years ago 省略的是 one microcomputer for every XX pupils,所以也该用单数并且是过去式，我是这么理解的。觉得以上全错，呵呵。

yetemwok

多谢总结. 每次见到这些鬼东西我都生气.

不过,在阅读中,我从来没有见过EVERY 32 PEOPLE HAVE A COMPUTER这样的书面表达. 是否见到EVERY + PLURAL NOUN就选择PLURAL VERB?

多谢

qhgary

以下是引用cristina310在2007-8-9 21:29:00的发言：

89. A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were four years ago.
A. there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
B. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
C. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were
D. every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were
E. every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

Can not understand what you discussed. I think that the best answer should be

A recent national study of the public schools shows that there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there was four years ago.

按照句子对仗来说，前后的单复数应该一样，不可能前面单后后面双，或者前面双而后面单啊。而且there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils这个从句中主要指的是one microcomputer，况且every thirty-two pupils应该作为一个整体而不是分开的32个学生，所以为啥要用复数呢？同理，four times as many than there were four years ago 省略的是 one microcomputer for every XX pupils,所以也该用单数并且是过去式，我是这么理解的。觉得以上全错，呵呵。

我也有此一文的，为什么后面要用were?应该是was才对啊。哪位大侠帮忙解释一下。

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-9-5 18:10:23编辑过]

jiangyz

以下是引用cissy在2003-12-26 17:51:00的发言：
89. A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were four years ago.
A. there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
B. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
C. there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were
D. every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were
E. every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

Choices A, B, and C appropriately use the construction "one X for every thirty-two Ys" to describe the ratio of computers to pupils, but only C, the best answer, is error-free. In A, are does not agree with the subject, one microcomputer; furthermore, in A, B, and D, than is used where as is required. Choices D and E reorder and garble the "one X ..." construction, making four times as many refer illogically to pupils.

to this question, I think that the structure "four times ......" is the 同位语，so both D and E are inaccuracy.

to A and B, the structure as many than is false, so the best answer is C. 

jiangyz

我认为four times as many than there were four years ago 省略的是等同于 1/4 microcomputer for every 32 pupils这样的结构。1/4是否用复数？

renpinwudi

Choices A, B, and C appropriately use the construction "one X for every thirty-two Ys" to describe the ratio of computers to pupils, but only C, the best answer, is error-free. In A, are does not agree with the subject, one microcomputer; furthermore, in A, B, and D, than is used where as is required. Choices D and E reorder and garble the "one X ..." construction, making four times as many refer illogically to pupils.

从cissy的例子开始就看疯了…… 不知道是不是自己搞错了 根本就在讨论一个无关样本！ there is one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils: is 对应的是one computer， 跟后面的every没关系   仅从D E 2个错误选项里 有什么好总结的 根本没有代表性 就算D E 很明显OG的说法是EVERY xxx  HAS(OR HAVE)这个结构与后面不对应 根本没有解释have has的问题

LZM那个说法是错的  那些词只是在“正常用法下”接单数  EVERY 32 PUPILS本身是个特殊情况 如果非要说是接单数 我只能理解我是作为一个整体 一点点类似于every cup and folk has, 或者是因为习惯 every man and women has.  但我google了一下 英语论坛也没讨论清楚http://www.englishforums.com/English/VerbSingularPluralForm/jmzl/Post.htm     没时间继续google 希望谁能搜到个真正权威的说法来解释every 32 pupils has or have的问题

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-11-23 23:09:58编辑过]