I'm blaming my chemo brain for this; I promise I can usually write correctly and confidently.
I wrote:
Thousands of pounds worth of play equipment has been provided...
but my colleague has corrected the has to have. That's not right, is it?
Which is correct?
TwigTheWonderKid · 30/04/2024 13:48
OpusGiemuJavlo · 30/04/2024 13:54
Has.
Because in this sentence "play equipment" is a unitary thing like "a pile of gold coins has been left on my front doorstep"
Whereas if it was "thousands of items of play equipment" it would be have because it becomes theoretically countable like "a large number of gold coins have been left on my front doorstep"
iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14
Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.
Fromage · 30/04/2024 14:18
I think it's "Thousands of pounds' worth of play equipment has been provided..."
The thing provided is the play equipment (singular) and I think you need an apostrophe after 'pounds' because it's a possessive?
CarolinaInTheMorning · 30/04/2024 14:22
I agree. "Thousands" is the subject of the sentence, not "play equipment." And in this usage "thousands" is plural. But I'm American, and in American English, it would be "have."
iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14
Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.
iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14
Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.
Mumsnet Weekly Hot Threads
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
![Woman smiling and making heart symbol with her hands](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.mumsnet.com/assets/images/stock/heart.jpg)
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.