Verbs

“There were a number of updates.”

Common English Blunders, Number, Verbs

I heard this during a conference call.

Problem:
The number of the verb does not match the number of “a number of updates”.

Explanation:
The phrase “a number of updates” is singular (because “a number” is singular).

In contrast, the “were” form of the verb “be” is third-person plural.

The solution is to use the third-person singular form of the verb “be”.

I believe that the problematic sentence is an example of speakers and writers being distracted by the noun “updates”, which is plural and ends the sentence (and therefore tends to get more attention than does “a number”).

Solution:
“There was a number of updates.”

“None of them work.”

Common English Blunders, Number, Pronouns, Verbs

I saw a hilarious TV clip about why this is wrong.

Problem:
The number of the verb does not match the number of the subject.

Explanation:
The pronoun “none” means not one.

The pronoun “one” is singular and takes the third-person, singular form of “work”, which is “works”.

Seeing this, we get “Not one of them works.”

Converting “Not one” back to “None” gives us the solution.

I believe that the problematic sentence is an example of speakers and writers being distracted by the nearness of the verb to the pronoun “them”, which is plural.

Solution:
“None of them works.”

“Bring” vs. “Carry”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Verbs, Versus

Just as I often hear “bring” when the speaker means “take” instead, I often hear speakers confuse “carry” with “bring”.

Problem:
The verbs “bring” and “carry” are not interchangeable.

Explanation:
One should use “carry” when one is telling the listener to transport something to a location other than where one currently resides.

One should use “bring” when one is telling the listener to transport something to a location where one currently resides.

I believe that the use of “bring” instead of “carry” supports my “Devolution toward Simpler” hypothesis. The verb “bring” (with one syllable) is simpler to say than is “carry” (with two syllables).

Solution:
Use “bring” when the person making the request is at the destination.
Use “carry” when the person making the request is NOT at the destination.