When we hear the word majority it is usually in a sampling context, such as a poll. You count the members of a group, and if more than half share a trait, then you can say most of the group shares that trait.
8,300 signal and rail switch repairers nationwide—most of them based in California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington—install, inspect, test, maintain, and repair intersections Electric gate cutters, signal equipment and rail switches, as with most railroad workers, must have a high school diploma and on-the-job training to do so. – The waiter Vicky, Forbes.comJune 25, 2018
Uncountable nouns, also known as mass nouns, usually refer to things that exist as a mass, have taken on a plural, or exist only in an abstract form.
It works similarly with surveys. You ask a group of people a question and if more than half of the group gives the same answer, you can say that most of the group agrees.
Hayes attributes the prevalence of hidden behavior in the suburbs to a perception of safety: He says the majority of residents in the small towns he has spoken to over the years tend to be afraid of crime. much more than people living in cities… — Tara Kadioglu, Chicago CourtMarch 26, 2015
(All the same holds true for its opposite, minority: minority of employees, minority of residents.)
These examples are relatively simple in that the noun being sampled is a countable plural. A countable noun is a noun that can be expressed in units: 100 senators, nine judges, fourteen sandbags, one hundred million voters, two dozen donuts.
It’s easy to pair nearly any countable noun with majority or minority and have a clear idea what is being represented. At least fifty-one of the 100 senators constitute a majority of those senators. So did five of the nine judges. If thirteen or more of the two dozen donuts have jelly inside, you can tell that most donuts have jelly inside.
But a question arises when one tries to use these words with an uncountable noun because it is a singular or uncountable noun. uncountable nounalso called plural noun, not in units the same way we count senators, donuts, and sandbags. Noncount usually refers to things that exist as a block (mayonaise, sand, garbage), which already implies a plural (clap, interior), or exists only in the abstract part (impatience, dulcet, Cherish). You wouldn’t say you have four trash cans or a hundred pieces of furniture, so these nouns are considered uncountable.
Traditionally, usage experts have emphasized that majority (alike minority) only works with countable nouns. But we see the word used for everything that is allocated but cannot exist as discrete units:
Most of the rocket fuel is used during this acceleration phase. High final velocities are required to ensure that the released payload stays in orbit. — Ingo Jahn, Conversation (Australia), June 25, 2018
David Orr’s Poetry column on James Franco’s “Director Herbert White” drew a massive and mostly scathing response online. Much of it criticized the book and Franco’s vast artistic abilities and ambitions; for giving him attention. – letters, New York Times book reviewAugust 3, 2014
It has long been known that the bulk of our supply of neurochemicals—an estimated 50% dopamine and most serotonin, for example—originates in the gut, where these chemical signals regulate appetite, satiety and digestion. — New York Times MagazineJune 28, 2015
As these examples demonstrate, majority used for all things that are not enumerable by nature, but can be allocated on their own. It can be used with spaces, or things that are measured by area:
DeGeneres, also a civil engineer, says current breakwater problems can be limited to certain sections where the fence forms elbow angles that tend to absorb wave impact. . It is possible that most of the wall is stable enough to last a number of years or only parts of the wall may need replacing. — Kim Chatelain, New Orleans Times-PicayuneAugust 30, 2017
The wire and post fence allows Vietnam’s much-loved big-bellied pig to enjoy most of the yard surrounding its family home and is sturdy and tall enough to prevent it from breaking in. — Left hand valley courier (Niwot, Colorado), April 20, 2018
It can be used with time, or things measured in time:
“We expect him to be out there most of the time,” [manager Dave] Roberts said. “Yasiel has put in a lot of effort this winter with his swing, his swing mechanics. And obviously the body looks great.” — Andy McCullough, Los Angeles TimesFebruary 17, 2017
The survey found that the people who are happiest at their jobs aren’t the ones who spend most of the week in the office collaborating with their co-workers and skipping a day of the week to go to work. — Jena McCullough, washington articlesFebruary 16, 2017
“‘The Sorrowful Void’ is a song that grew out of an obsession with a riff and its repetition,” says guitarist Michael Bertoldini. “This is the first riff written for this new EP and that single riff makes up the bulk of the song. — Fred Pessaro, revolverJune 22, 2018
In some cases, the sentence requires careful reading. What seems like an uncountable noun can actually imply something countable in context. In phrases such as “most of the community” or “most of the group”, the words community And team actually represent the individuals that make up those groups. “Most albums” can allocate recordings by individual tracks. And there are examples like this:
Miami returns majority on his talent in attacking skill positions, with eight starts back since 2017. — Matt Murschel, Orlando GuardsJune 25, 2018.
Talent here is expressed as an uncountable noun (although one can also say “she has many talents” in another sense of the word). In this case, the word is used as a metaphor for “talented people”; this sentence says that the majority of players in those skill slots are returning and players can count.
Then the question arises: do majority And minority take singular or plural verbs? The answer is usually determined, again, by the countability of the allocated noun:
The majority of voters support the law.
Much of the wine is from Argentina.
Most of the songs have her playing the guitar.
Most of my day is spent keeping records.
Most of my work time is spent keeping records.
The majority of the workforce is classified as blue-collar.
This is the bulk of our current research on this issue.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
