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You can't trust people with secrets these days. The majority [is or are] gossips. which one is correct and why?

jojo
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1 Answers1

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I would use "are" treating the sentence as an elided from of

The majority of people are gossips.

"majority" takes plural forms. Not all collective nouns do:

  • The army is ready to march. (not are ready)
  • The orchestra is tuning up.
  • The middle-class are going to benefit from this law.
  • The Senate is going to pass the law. (Bu the Senators had to be pushed into doing so.)
  • The Yuppies enjoy services delivered to their doors.

There doesn't seem to be a clear rule on which collective nouns take plural forms.

David Siegel
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