# EN: X percent + verb agreement (singular / plural)



## Sue Elisabeth

Must one say "75 percent of the population *is* Christian" or "75 percent of the population *are* Christian" ?


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## XPditif

both
75 percents of the population is christian
75 percents of the population are christians


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## mgarizona

Consider the sentence this way: 75 out of 100 of them ___ Christian.

Clearly the answer is *are*.

75 percent are Christian.

On the other hand, if '75 percent' is taken as a single entity, then it requires a singular verb: "75 percent of the vote is a remarkable showing in recent American politics."


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## coeurdenids

That's it exactly.


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## lrosa

I think you can use *both*.

75 percent of the population is Christian 
75 percent of the population are Christian  (Christian is an adjective, so no "s")


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## mgarizona

I think the confusion is based on the fact that the word 'percent' can be used as a noun, a singular noun. We speak of "one tenth of a percent."

But when you say '75 percent' it is not a noun, it's really a prepositional phrase. (It stands in for 'out of every one hundred.') So, the same way you would not say 'Out of every one hundred, 75 is Christian,' it is incorrect to say '75 percent is Christian.'

Consider: "I've just checked all the light switches and only 50% work." No one would replace that 'work' with 'works' and consider it a correct sentence.

Hope that's clear enough.


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## lrosa

I think if you look at "75 percent" as one single entity (which is, in my opinion, entirely fair), it is quite correct to say "75 percent of the population is Christian", just as you would use the singular form of the verb in "1/2 *is *bigger than 1/3."

In your example, "works" doesn't work D) because you've already mentioned the plural "light switch*es*", which makes it impossible to use the singular form of the verb. It would be the same if the sentence were "75 percent of the *people* are Christian." Here, it is impossible to substitute "is" for "are", as in your example.

But "the population" is a single entity, so "is" works.


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## Misschocolat

Hello!

I'm trying to translate: _60% de la population a plus de 50 ans_. 
My try: Sixty per cent of the population is over fifty years old. 

Is "is" correct, or would you use "are"?


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## lilokayz

"Is" is the one that's grammatically correct, and the one which I think just sounds better. But in casual conversation you'll get people who say it both ways.


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## _adrienne_

The subject of the sentence is "the population" which is third person singular present tense. "Is" is the correct conjugation of "to be" for third person singular present tense.

Saying "are" in this context is, as lilokayz said, wrong.


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## Tourbinelle

HI there!
I'm not sure about that...Would you say for instance 10% of the young men are injured? Or 10% of the young men is injured?
It seems to me that it takes a plural, like in French, but I'm not sure...
Thanks!


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## Ellea1

Hello,

I'd say "10% of young men are injured"


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## SteveD

Ellea1 said:


> I'd say "10% of young men are injured...."



However, you would say "10% of 100 is 10".


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## Pierre Simon

Tourbinelle said:


> Would you say [...] 10% of the young men are injured? Or 10% of the young men is injured? It seems to me that it takes a plural, like in French, but I'm not sure...


 
Hullo Tourbinelle,

The general rule in such cases (and there are exceptions  ) is that if the main noun is singular, the verb is also singular. Conversely, if the main noun is plural, then the verb will be plural too. A couple of examples may help to illustrate the point :

"10% of *the town* (singular) *is* under water"
"10% of *the city* (singular) *was* destroyed during the war"
"10% of *the students* (plural) *have* failed the exam"

In your example, _'young men'_ is plural, so the verb must also be plural :

"10% of the young men *are* injured"


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## Woofer

Pierre Simon said:


> The general rule in such cases (and there are exceptions  ) is that if the main noun is singular, the verb is also singular. Conversely, if the main noun is plural, then the verb will be plural too. A couple of examples may help to illustrate the point :
> 
> "10% of *the town* (singular) *is* under water"
> "10% of *the city* (singular) *was* destroyed during the war"



Sure, but 10% of the city _is/are_ currently unemployed.  

If the city can be treated as a singular entity, for example when 10% of it is destroyed, then the singular verb is the only choice.  The problem arrives when the city or population can be treated as a collective noun, for example when 10% are unemployed or Christian.

Verb agreement with collective nouns is one of the big differences between British and American English, with the Americans tending strongly toward singular (_is) _verbs while the British tend toward plural (_are) _verbs.  Both are grammatically correct.


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## lamy08

What do you say after 100:

_only one hundred percent of the brain* is *used_
or
_only one hundred percent of the brain *are *used?
_
Thanks


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## Pierre Simon

Hullo Lamy08,

"... _one hundred percent of the brain *is*_... "


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## atokad

Like Pierre Simon said, the correct phrase is* "is* used."

In order to determine whether xx % is singular or plural, you have to look at whether the thing being discussed is countable or not.  In your case, "brain" is uncountable, so it requires the singular verb.

Compare:
70% of voters *were* unhappy with Congress.
70% of the city *was* destroyed by a fire.

By the way, it's very strange to say "only" 100%, since it's impossible to use more than 100% of your brain.


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## lamy08

atokad said:


> By the way, it's very strange to say "only" 100%, since it's impossible to use more than 100% of your brain.



Of course! It's a mistake. I was thinking of another sentence with "_only 10% of the brain_" and I didn't pay much attention to it, I must confess (it's a bit late too and I'm still working... )


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## Peyton15

*Rule 1.* A subject will come before a phrase beginning with _of_. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word _of_ is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.

Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:

*Incorrect:* _A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room._

*Correct:* _A bouquet of yellow roses lends_ . . . (_bouquet lends_, not _roses lend_)



_adrienne_ said:


> The subject of the sentence is "the population" which is third person singular present tense.


The subject is not "the population"



Misschocolat said:


> Is "is" correct, or would you use "are"?


You must use are


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## Maître Capello

Peyton15 said:


> You must use are


 Non, il n'y a aucune obligation d'employer le pluriel. Comme en français (cf. ce fil), les deux accords sont possibles : l'accord avec le sujet implicite (ici : _people_) ou l'accord avec le complément de l'expression de pourcentage (ici : _population_). Bien plus, lorsque le complément est un nom non comptable comme dans l'exemple qui nous occupe, c'est même le singulier qui est le choix le plus fréquent.

_Sixty percent of the population *is* over fifty years old._ 
_Sixty percent of the population *are* over fifty years old._ ()



Peyton15 said:


> *Incorrect:* _A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room._
> *Correct:* _A bouquet of yellow roses lends_ . . . (_bouquet lends_, not _roses lend_)


L'exemple que vous indiquez n'a rien à voir avec le cas de _X percent of the population_ puisque _roses_ est d'une part un nom comptable et est d'autre part au pluriel. Dans ce cas-là, on accordera en effet le verbe au pluriel.

Je vous invite à lire les discussions suivantes sur le forum English Only :
99 percent of the world’s population live (or lives)
Collective nouns - 99% of, the majority of the congregation - singular or plural? percent per cent


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## Peyton15

Oui je continue à lire, mais comme tu le dis il n'y a aucune obligation de mettre "are" ni "is". Pour ma part, "are" sonne mieux et plus logique.

D'ailleurs dans les documents legales et financiers, ils mettent "are". Je dois me fier à quoi au final?

Si on se base sur mon exemple, la regle dit que le sujet se trouve toujours avant "of".

Donc le sujet c'est "60%-sixty percent" qui est un nombre pluriel.

J'ai un doute quant au fait d'appliquer la même regle du français à l'anglais. Ce n'est pas dutout la même grammaire.

[…]


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## Maître Capello

Peyton15 said:


> Pour ma part, "are" sonne mieux et plus logique.


Pour vous peut-être, mais vous n'êtes pas un anglophone natif. Or les natifs préfèrent le singulier dans ce cas…  Je me fierai donc à eux plutôt qu'à vous, ne vous en déplaise. Par ailleurs, les deux nombres sont aussi logiques l'un que l'autre. Il suffit seulement de bien comprendre la logique cachée derrière chaque accord.



> Si on se base sur mon exemple, la règle dit que le sujet se trouve toujours avant "of".


Le sujet apparent est certes toujours avant _of_, mais le sujet réel est parfois le complément qui suit cette préposition, d'où les différents accords possibles.



> Donc le sujet c'est "60%-sixty percent" qui est un nombre pluriel.


Ce n'est pas parce que le nombre 60 est supérieur ou égal à 2 que 60 % est nécessairement un pluriel. D'une part, 60 % est égal à 0,6 qui est plus petit que 2. D'autre part, dans le cas qui nous occupe, le complément est un nom non comptable. Il n'est donc en aucun cas question de « 60 populations sur 100 »  (alors que l'on pourrait suivre ce raisonnement pour un complément comptable, p. ex. : _60 % des voitures = *60 voitures* _(pluriel)_ sur 100_ ). Il s'agit au contraire d'*une* partie/fraction d'un tout, qui peut donc être considérée comme un groupe unique, donc singulier. Avec un autre complément du même type, c'est peut-être encore plus parlant : _60% of the water *has* been spilled_. Il n'y a qu'une seule masse d'eau et le pluriel serait dans ce cas très étrange.



> J'ai un doute quant au fait d'appliquer la même règle du français à l'anglais. Ce n'est pas du_tout la même grammaire.


Je n'ai jamais prétendu qu'il faille appliquer la même règle. Je me suis borné à constater que les deux accords sont possibles dans les deux langues…


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