Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site cwruecmp.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!decvax!cwruecmp!decot From: decot@cwruecmp.UUCP (Dave Decot) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Singular/Plural space shuttle Message-ID: <962@cwruecmp.UUCP> Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 00:36:24 EST Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.962 Posted: Thu Feb 9 00:36:24 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 07:05:51 EST References: <4780@rochester.UUCP> Organization: CWRU Computer Engr. Cleveland, Ohio Lines: 20 The space shuttle was one of the topics which were discussed in class this week. is better because this sentence says that A was an element of set B, where A = "the space shuttle", and B = "the topics which were discussed in class this week." B makes no sense as "the topics which was discussed last week." Certainly "that" is better than "which" here, but even better would be to eliminate "which were" entirely. OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS! The class discussed the space shuttle this week. is better still, since it is active and does not disallow other topics. Mentioning that there were other topics without describing them is useless to the reader. Dave Decot "Non-Americans are people, too." decvax!cwruecmp!decot (Decot.Case@rand-relay)