Which is grammatically correct?

[sjwright]

Just to settle an ongoing disagreement in the office:

Which is grammatically correct:

- A whole new range of houses is coming soon to Royston
- A whole new range of houses are coming soon to Royston

I say that its the first, as the (singuar) range of (many) houses is 1 unit, therefore should be 'is coming soon'...

If there were more than 1 range of houses, then fair enough, 'are' is correct?

Ideas on a postcard please!

[mike11111]

Old Geezer has hit the nail on the head - it is the last word in a long sequence which governs following word, whether strictly grammatically correct or not.

[LoftyLottie]

Royston is already crowded and now a new range of houses is coming. Disaster!! It will soon meet Cambridge or Letchworth.

[mike11111]

Hands up all those linguistic pedants who, on knocking at someone's door and hearing the response, "Who is it?" reply, "It is I", instead of "it's me".

[DTCwordfan]

Now there's news. Royston has rage of houses coming. I didn't see any at all the last time I was there. Plenty of huts though.

[DTCwordfan]

with a typo - range! not rage......

[LoftyLottie]

'Who is knocking at the door"

'I am knocking at the door' or 'It is me (who is knocking at the door)'

[LoftyLottie]

I like it DS

"A rage of houses"

http://media.merchant...angryHouse_medium.gif

[Ankou]

its totally wrong ? since when do houses go anywhere ?

[LoftyLottie]

I mean DT!!

[LoftyLottie]

A house was moved from Hertfordshire to Wells Next the Sea!

[NoMercy]

A range is singular so therefore:

A whole new range of houses IS coming soon to Royston.

You wouldn't say, "A range are coming."

You would say, "A range is coming."

[DTCwordfan]

I guess it would be a new phrase to describe a "hot property."

[notasyoungasiwas]

I'm a secretary and it is definitely the first one - definitely !

[LoftyLottie]

Absolutely no doubt at all.

[DTCwordfan]

The Haunted Royston House


One stormy night a Cambridgeshire man, a Suffolk man and a Norfolk man were walking home near Royston and had no shelter so in the middle of this big flat they found this haunted house.

They were all freaked out and hesitated to go in.

Eventually, the Cambridgeshire man went in and found a five pound note sitting on the table and he goes to lift it when all of a sudden the ghost of Mickey Mouse appears and says "I'm the ghost of Mickey Mouse lift that fiver and I'll haunt your house"

Next the Suffolk man went in and saw the fiver, but before he could lift it the ghost of Mickey Mouse appeared again and said "I'm the ghost of Mickey Mouse lift that fiver and I'll haunt your house".

Finally, the Norfolk man went in and lifted the fiver and Mickey Mouse popped out again and said "I'm the ghost of Mickey mouse lift that fiver and I'll haunt your house"

Then the Norfolk man said "I'm the ghost of Donald Duck I'll lift this fiver and I'll run like feck"

[mike11111]

The last line doesn't quite rhyme.

[DTCwordfan]

An Ab Ed rhyming substitute......

[vivandorron]

mike....Please read correctly, post 2.....woofgang was agreeing with sjwright.

Ron

[LoftyLottie]

She certainly was.

[woofgang]

Yup, mrsLeG and I cross posted, I meant that the op is right.