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Using The Word «Variety» As The Subject?
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If using the word » a variety of something» as a subject, should one refer to the subject in the singular/pluralized form?
Thank you
Jan 07 2015 23:23:43
- maelstrom
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Generally, singular sounds better. (‘Variety’ is the grammatical subject, but ‘a variety of’ may be considered a quantifier by some.)
Jan 07 2015 23:46:59
- Mister Micawber
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maelstrom If using the word » a variety of something» as a subject, should one refer to the subject in the singular/pluralized form?Thank you
See Down the line.
See range/variety
CJ
Jan 08 2015 00:29:16
- CalifJim
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For any word or phrase that implies a set (e.g. variety, assortment, multitude, group, collection, lot, etc.), the best way to decide whether to treat it as singular or plural is to ask yourself «am I referring to the set’s members, or to the set itself?» If you’re referring to the set’s members, use plural. If you’re referring to the set itself, use singular (because, even though a set contains multiple things, it is a single thing).
Some examples might help to clarify this distinction. Imagine a florist conversing with one of her customers…
Example 1:
Customer: I’d like to have a bouquet sent to my wife for our anniversary. Would roses be a good choice?
Florist: Certainly, but consider mixing some daisies and lilacs in with the roses. A variety of flowers makes a lovely anniversary bouquet.
Note the use of the singular verb makes in the last sentence. Since the set is being treated as singular, we assume that the florist is making a statement about the set rather than its members. In other words, it’s the variety, not the flowers, that she’s identifying as that which makes a lovely bouquet.
Example 2:
Customer: I’d like to have a bouquet sent to my wife for our anniversary. Would roses be a good choice?
Florist: Certainly, but roses aren’t your only option; you could send daisies or lilacs instead. A variety of flowers make a lovely anniversary bouquet.
The last sentence is exactly the same as the previous example’s, except that the singular verb makes has been replaced with the plural make. The grammar is still correct, but the meaning has changed. This time, the florist is saying that any of the set’s members can be used to create a lovely bouquet. She’s not suggesting that the bouquet should contain the whole set (as in the previous example).
So both forms are correct, and the one you should use depends on the message you’re trying to convey.
It’s worth noting that many native English speakers— myself included— often mess this up, so you’ll probably have to use context to figure out what we mean most of the time. Plural verbs seem to be preferred when the necessity of distinguishing between the set and its members is absent or unclear. In fact, you could probably get away with always using plural verbs. This is somewhat ironic since singular verbs have the advantage of not conflicting with the indefinite articles a and an (e.g. a variety, an assortment), which are exclusively singular. But for some reason, we prefer to break the rules in this case.
One reason may be the verb’s close proximity to the noun that identifies the set’s members (e.g. the flowers in «a variety of flowers«). Since that word is plural, it «feels right» to follow it with a plural verb, even if the actual subject of the sentence (the set) is singular.
Another reason may be that phrases like a variety of, a lot of, an assortment of, etc. are often used as substitutes for adjectives like various, many, some— words that typically describe plural subjects and are therefor accompanied by plural verbs (e.g. «various flowers make lovely bouquets»). When people make this substitution, they may not feel comfortable changing the verb to its singular form because in their minds, they’re still referring to multiple things as opposed to one.
So there is some gray area, but most of the time you’ll do well to follow the rule described at the top of this post.
Note on definitions: The word variety has several meanings, of which the most relevant to the current topic is «diverse set». When it’s preceded by the word the, as in «the variety of books on the table is unbelievable», it usually means «diversity» or «type». Those meanings have their own usage rules which are beyond the scope of this answer.
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- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ vuh—rahy-i-tee ]
/ vəˈraɪ ɪ ti /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun, plural va·ri·e·ties.
the state of being varied or diversified: to give variety to a diet.
difference; discrepancy.
a number of different types of things, especially ones in the same general category: a large variety of fruits.
a kind or sort.
a different form, condition, or phase of something: varieties of pastry; a variety of economic reforms.
a category within a species, based on some hereditary difference.
a type of animal or plant produced by artificial selection.
Philately. a stamp differing from others of the same issue through an accident other than an error of an artist or printer.Compare error (def. 8), freak1 (def. 5).
Also called variety show . entertainment of mixed character, consisting of a number of individual performances or acts, as of singing, dancing, or skits.Compare vaudeville (def. 1).
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of a variety: a variety performer.
QUIZ
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Origin of variety
1525–35; <Latin varietās, equivalent to vari(us) various + -etās, variant of -itās-ity after a vowel
usage note for variety
3, 5. As a collective noun, variety, when preceded by a, is often treated as a plural: A variety of inexpensive goods are sold here. When preceded by the, it is usually treated as a singular: The variety of products is small. See also collective noun.
OTHER WORDS FROM variety
non·va·ri·e·ty, noun, plural non·va·ri·e·ties.o·ver·va·ri·e·ty, nounsub·va·ri·e·ty, noun, plural sub·va·ri·e·ties.
Words nearby variety
variegated, variegation, varier, varies, varietal, variety, Variety is the spice of life, variety meat, variety store, varifocal, varifocals
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to variety
array, assortment, change, collection, diversity, mixture, range, soup, variation, brand, breed, category, character, description, kind, nature, quality, strain, combo, conglomeration
How to use variety in a sentence
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Instead, they can turn to a variety of websites that let people loan out their cryptocurrency, often for high rates of interest.
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The company is also letting consumers apply the 50% bonus they receive when spending rewards points for travel to a variety of other items under a “Pay Yourself Back” program.
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This is a system that assigns trustworthiness scores to individuals, companies, organizations, and governments on the basis of a variety of behaviors.
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This year’s Digiday Media Awards Europe honor a wide variety of publishers, media brands, advertisers and technology companies.
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Canoo says this modular approach will allow the company to serve a variety of market segments at reduced cost.
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An escort who goes by the name of “Tommy” has experienced a wide variety of female clients.
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A variety of systems were in place across countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
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But this approach can be troublesome for a variety of reasons.
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Klaus espouses inflammatory views on a variety of subjects, some of which Cato happily embraced.
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In this day and age, this “help” comes in a variety of forms, from creative writing courses to ghost writers.
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Selections for practice should be chosen which contain much variety of thought and feeling and are smooth in movement.
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Adequate conception of the extent, the variety, the excellence of the works of Art here heaped together is impossible.
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She apparently prefers to paint single figures of women and young girls, but her works include a variety of subjects.
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«Immer eine bunte Reihe machen (Always have a little variety),» said he.
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He distinguished himself in early youth by the variety of studies which he accomplished.
British Dictionary definitions for variety
noun plural -ties
the quality or condition of being diversified or various
a collection of unlike things, esp of the same general group; assortment
a different form or kind within a general category; sortvarieties of behaviour
- taxonomy a race whose distinct characters are insufficient to justify classification as a separate species; a subspecies
- horticulture stockbreeding a strain of animal or plant produced by artificial breeding
- entertainment consisting of a series of short unrelated performances or acts, such as comedy turns, songs, dances, sketches, etc
- (as modifier)a variety show
Word Origin for variety
C16: from Latin varietās, from various
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
noun
- a collection containing a variety of sorts of things (syn: assortment, miscellanea, miscellany, mixture, motley, potpourri, salmagundi)
he had a variety of disorders
- noticeable heterogeneity (syn: diverseness, diversity)
the range and variety of his work is amazing
- (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics
- a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances
- a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality (syn: form, kind, sort)
- a difference that is usually pleasant (syn: change)
he goes to France for variety
Extra examples
I was surprised by the variety of the choices that were available.
My life needs more variety.
Variety is the mother of enjoyment.
A variety of hooks were used for different kinds of fish.
The two lads represent two distinct varieties of human life.
I really like the variety the store has to offer.
Occasionally working from home adds variety to a job.
The lake has more than 20 varieties of fish.
Lon has no patience with anything of the child variety.
The classes cover a variety of subject areas, including mathematics and English.
She is concerned with a variety of social issues.
She has a variety of adminsitrative duties.
They stocked the shelves in the store with a variety of imported foods.
There’s less danger that you’ll lose your money if you have a wide variety of investments.
The restaurant serves a variety of meats.
Word forms
noun
singular: variety
plural: varieties
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.
различные темы
различным предметам
кругу вопросов
различным темам
различные предметы
различных предметов
круг вопросов
самые разные предметы
множество предметов
разнообразие сюжетов
различным вопросам
ряду предметов
разнообразные темы
разнообразие предметов
разнообразных предметов
Writers complain about a variety of subjects, most often a crime committed against him or her.
Просители жаловались на различные темы, чаще всего преступления, совершенные против них.
Working as a freelance journalist, he writes essays and reports on a variety of subjects.
Работая вольнонаёмным журналистом в свободное от писательской работы время, он пишет эссе и репортажи на различные темы.
Studies have shown that children who read have greater intellectual progress in a variety of subjects.
Дети, которые читают, имеют более высокий интеллектуальный прогресс по различным предметам.
An online platform offering online courses covering a variety of subjects, including the ability to view lectures and non-graded materials for free.
Онлайн-платформа, предлагающая онлайн-курсы по различным предметам, в том числе возможность бесплатного просмотра лекций и других материалов.
We feel that our reconnection with you will require imparting copious amounts of information on a wide variety of subjects.
Мы думаем, что воссоединение с вами потребует от нас передачи большого количества информации по широкому кругу вопросов.
The theory of formative assessment outlined in this article is relevant to a broad spectrum of learning outcomes in a wide variety of subjects.
Теория формирующей оценки, изложенная в этой статье, имеет отношение ко всему спектру результатов обучения, по широкому кругу вопросов.
Read online magazines, essays, and blogs on a variety of subjects.
Читайте интернет-журналы, эссе и блоги на различные темы.
Churchill was an avid reader with vast knowledge on a variety of subjects.
Черчилль был жадным читателем, обладающим обширными знаниями по различным предметам.
There are possible dialogues on a wide variety of subjects.
It is an intensive programme that as well as teaching concepts in a variety of subjects also improves both general and academic English.
Программа Это интенсивная программа, которая наряду с концепциями обучения по различным предметам, улучшает как общий, так и академический английский.
UNHCR spends more than $ 5 million annually on training all categories of staff in a wide variety of subjects.
УВКБ расходует свыше пяти миллионов долларов США в год на подготовку всех категорий сотрудников по широкому кругу вопросов.
Besides the works mentioned here, Kepler published numerous smaller works on a variety of subjects.
Наряду с этими знаменитыми трудами, Кеплер еще опубликовал огромное количество работ на различные темы.
He taught and researched a variety of subjects in computing and engineering.
Он вел курсы и занимался исследовательской работой по многим вопросам в области вычислительной техники и инжиниринга.
However, the projects I work on cover a wide variety of subjects and technical matters.
Тематики, по которым мы работаем, охватывают широкий спектр производств и специфической техники.
Practice your conversation skills by talking about a variety of subjects.
Заодно и подтянуть свои разговорные навыки, общаясь на самые разные темы.
Those who study international cooperation may deal with a wide variety of subjects as they attempt to understand how different countries work together.
Те, кто изучает международное сотрудничество может иметь дело с широким кругом субъектов, поскольку они пытаются понять, как разные страны работают вместе.
Training courses cover a variety of subjects.
It includes prayers on a wide variety of subjects.
With their participation, designers create a wide variety of subjects.
I’m reconsidering my stance on a variety of subjects.
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