The Penguin Guide to Plain English

Rovers and I doubt w hether one w ould often be likely to hear the
equivalent of w here Aston Villa meets Tranmere Rovers. A rather differ
ent liberty is taken w hen the com m entator makes this judgement:
Seven defeats out of ten on Scottish soil tells its own story.
To make a pedantic correction here ( Seven defeats out of ten tell their
ow n story) w ould be nit-picking. W hen a given series o f events (Seven
defeats out o f ten) is thus sum m ed up as a single significant fact, the
case for using the singular verb is strong. And w hen, moreover, the verb
in question is part o f a single w ell-w orn expression (it tells its ow n
story), the case is strengthened.

Attracting the W ro n g Verb

Sometimes a mistake is made w hen the noun in question can in no sense
be called collective.
Detailed analysis of the cost of rehabilitation and the potential revenue were
given.
W hat happens here is that the w riter forgets that the subject o f the
sentence is the singular w ord analysis because the w ord has been
followed by the plurality o f items, cost of rehabilitation and potential
revenue. But the subject analysis is w hat m ust govern the verb: Detailed
analysis o f the cost and the revenue was given. This blunder all too often
appears in print.
It is the abiding interest in the countryside, its landscape and wild-life, its
traditions, customs and crafts, that result in constant reinterpretation . . .
By the time the six items have been listed, countryside, its landscape and
wildlife, its traditions, customs and crafts, the w riter has completely
forgotten that the subject o f the sentence was the w ord interest, and
that it m ust be followed by the verb results.
We may define the process that leads to this error as attraction in that
the nearness o f the listed nouns attracts a plural verb. The fatal attraction
can lure journalists in the m ost respectable broadsheets.
The area of interests which can be labelled women only have shrivelled
dramatically.