English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
A RULE PER DAY: PERCENTAGE AND FRACTION
Twenty percent of the real work ~have~ been done (nonstandard).
Twenty percent of the real work has been done (standard).
Two-third of the students ~is~ not prepared for the exam (nonstandard).
Two-third of the students are not prepared for the exam (standard).
RULE: When fraction or percentage is used at the beginning of a sentence, the verb will be controlled by the noun or pronoun that follows the percentage or concord.
GAB
1 Comment
Thank you, Dr. for today’s lesson.
One percent of the vacant positions have been filled.
One-fifth of the males in my class are married.
One-half of the bag of rice is left.
Eighty five percent of the taxes collected are from the oil sector of the economy.
Two-third of the content inside the cup is bad.