rodolf (05/09/82)
In all fairness it should be pointed out that some words such as "any" and "many" take different forms of verbs depending on the context of the usage. In the example of "Any of you ..." the "you" is a plural "you" (which is unfortunately lacking in the English language but present in many others); hence the usage of "are" following this is correct. Another example would be "Many grapes were sour." "Many a grape was sour." However, the point about informal English on the net is well taken. This is not a platform for doctorate papers, but rather a group of people with common interests who should be able to talk conversationally without being stifled for grammatical errors. Enough said! Rick Lindsley (uwvax!rodolf)
bch (05/09/82)
I hope y'all realize that the second person plural is only missing in *some* dialects of english.
hwtroup (05/09/82)
Also, "if she were ..." is proper under certain circumstances. This is the rare yellow-spotted English subjunctive. Never known to breed in captivity, the species is almost extinct. Henry Troup ...!decvac!utzoo!utcsrgv!hwtroup
solomon (05/10/82)
Re: I hope y'all realize that the second person plural is only missing in *some* dialects of english. Thou art indeed correct.
wagner (05/12/82)
In small town southern ontario, the second person plural is often youse.
djmdavies (05/14/82)
A few centuries ago, 'you' had much the same role as 'vous' in French now: namely for plural 'you' and as an address for social superiors. (Well not exactly the same as 'vous' I suppose.) 'Thee' etc was/is the singular form, for social 'equals', intimates, and inferiors. Leaving out the social status aspect, maybe thee/thy/thou should be revived?? Julian Davies