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I did a simple online English test and got two incorrect answers. Could someone please either explain the reason behind these two grammatical mistakes, or direct me in the direction of the grammar topic which I should read into? Note: I use British English.

Thank-you,

random7

English test mistakes: Mr. Hawkins requests that someone ____ the data by fax immediately. Send versus sends. Each of the Olympic athletes ____ for months, even years. Has versus have.

random7
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  • Regarding the correct choice of send, there's been a very recent answer on this site, please check. Each is singular, naturally, it's has been, not have been. Please visit [ell.se], also, go through previous posts on both these sites. – Kris Jul 21 '14 at 05:24
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    Suggested migrating to [ell.se] – Kris Jul 21 '14 at 05:25
  • Duplicate of not one but two utterly unrelated questions. Please ask one question at a time, and please search the site before asking. – RegDwigнt Jul 21 '14 at 08:51
  • @RegDwigнt♦: I don't know a lot about grammar, so I wouldn't know what to look for; hence why I wrote "or direct me in the direction of the grammar topic which I should read into". They are related through context (the online English test); hence why I posted them as the one question. I would suggest that you be a little bit nicer to new people. – random7 Jul 21 '14 at 15:11
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    I am flabbergasted you consider my comment not nice. I pointed you in the right direction on both grammar topics and showed you what you could have searched for without knowing anything about grammar, and accompanied every single suggestion with a please. Which cannot be said of your suggestion, by the way. – RegDwigнt Jul 21 '14 at 20:18
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    (And I am outright offended you chose to address me over the people who voted to close with a far less helpful comment, or with no comment at all.) – RegDwigнt Jul 21 '14 at 20:27
  • @RegDwigнt: sorry for the offence. I read your comment the wrong way (with a rude condescending tone). The cons of depression. I also don't know how this website works, exactly; so I am a little confused about how to do things; what things mean; etc. – random7 Jul 22 '14 at 02:48
  • @everyone: well guys; you sure know how to scare away new people. – random7 Jul 22 '14 at 02:50
  • @RegDwigнt Nice as pie. Cherry – my favourite. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 22 '14 at 15:46

1 Answers1

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The subjunctive mode (or mood) requires the word send, because there is an "ought-ness" in Mr. Hawkins' request. When something is required of you (assuming you are the "someone" in your first question) or you are given a directive (or order, or command) by someone, the use of the subjunctive mode is appropriate. There seems to be a movement today toward eliminating that mode in both speaking and writing. Nevertheless, here are a few examples which may give you a "feel" for what the subjunctive is all about.

Orders, Ought-ness, Commands, Things Required

  • Ms. Hanley, the eleventh-grade English teacher, demanded that Ted, her student, apologize for his insensitive remark.

  • Jim's boss required of Jim, hired as a salaried employee, that he put in several hours of overtime each week.

  • Mr. Hazard told me, "I suggested to Sally that she curb her enthusiasm."

The subjunctive mode can also be used to express a wish, a desire, an imagined but impossible outcome, or anything in the realm of the impossible. Some examples:

  • If I were a rich man, I'd buy my parents a mansion in Florida, but that's just a pipe dream.

  • If I were you, I'd lease a new car instead of buying it.

  • Even though my new neighbor was a beautiful and single young woman, I knew that if I were to ask her on a date, she'd shut me down immediately.

With "Each," "Every," and "Every Single One," for Example

When one particular person in a group of people, for example, is being singled out and described as having done something, that one person is the focus, not the whole group. The word each in your second sentence indicates one person; therefore, whatever his action has been is the focus, not the group's action.

  • The largest one of the statues has not been generating much interest in potential buyers.

  • Every single one of the team members has been raising money for the trip to the open competition in Seattle, which is 2000 miles away.

  • Only one of the many items up for bids has been available for immediate delivery since September 26; all the others cannot be delivered before the first of January.

In other words, a singular subject requires a single verb, even when the plural word is closer to the verb than the singular word.

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rhetorician
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  • HOWEVER: rhetorician's 'There seems to be a movement today toward eliminating that [ie subjunctive] mode in both speaking and writing.' and endorsement by say Quirk et al for the alternative choice of the indicative (here 'sends') in a mandative structure mean that labelling 'sends' incorrect here is incorrect. The test is essentially calling its preferred choice 'the [only] correct one'. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 21 '14 at 07:34
  • @rhetorician: thank-you for your very helpful response; it is much appreciated. – random7 Jul 21 '14 at 15:23
  • @EdwinAshworth: Point taken. That's why I used the word "appropriate" in my first paragraph. Personally, I'm comfortable with the subjunctive, but I wouldn't "correct" anyone who decided to use the indicative mode. Hey . . . , rules, schmools. Don – rhetorician Jul 21 '14 at 15:59
  • I don’t correct people who don’t use the subjunctive, either … but I do wince and cringe and die a little bit inside every time. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jul 21 '14 at 16:06
  • @Edwin: this use of the subjunctive is still very common in the U.S., but seems to be dying out in the U.K. To be correct in international English, use "should send" here. – Peter Shor Jul 21 '14 at 17:20
  • @Peter I almost always would do. However, Quirk (ACGEL) licenses the indicative, which this test doesn't. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 21 '14 at 20:31
  • @Edwin: it's probably an American test; sends sounds wrong to the educated American ear (and I believe to a number of less well educated American ears, too), while should send sounds fine to me. – Peter Shor Jul 21 '14 at 22:10
  • @Peter 'He looked out the window' sounds wrong to my ear, but I don't say it is wrong. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 22 '14 at 10:11
  • @Edwin: I found the source. It's definitely a test written by Americans, even though it claims to be testing standard international English. So it's clearly wrong about that question (and, even worse, about the question that tests whether "the company" is plural or singular). – Peter Shor Jul 22 '14 at 12:43