govinda Posted June 8, 2004 Share Posted June 8, 2004 I'm wondering what is grammatically correct? Changing Lives Matter or Changing Lives Matters Can you give me the grammatical rule as well to distiguish which is correct and incorrect? Thanks Jeannie Grammar drives me insane sometimes!!! :crazy: :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasleys Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Originally posted by govinda I'm wondering what is grammatically correct? Changing Lives Matter or Changing Lives Matters Can you give me the grammatical rule as well to distiguish which is correct and incorrect? Thanks Jeannie Jeannie, Is it the changing that matters, or the the lives that matter? Examples: Changing my life-style matters to me. The changing seasons in England matter to me. Which could have been: Changing my life-style is important to me. The changing seasons in England are important to me. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govinda Posted June 9, 2004 Author Share Posted June 9, 2004 Well, it is a 3 word slogan. I'm wondering which is grammatically correct. Changing lives matter. Changing lives matters. I'd like to know which is correct and why? The second doesn't sound right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasleys Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Originally posted by govinda Well, it is a 3 word slogan. I'm wondering which is grammatically correct. Changing lives matter. Changing lives matters. I'd like to know which is correct and why? The second doesn't sound right to me. Jennie, It could have two meanings, as I tried to point out above, so there are two 'right' versions. If we assume that it is the changing bit that is important then that is what matters. I think this is the more likely of the two. But if it is about lives that are changing then they matter. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govinda Posted June 9, 2004 Author Share Posted June 9, 2004 Okay. I understand. So I guess it doesn't change anything if the slogan is prefaced by 'what matters.' In other words, the full slogan would read as follows: What matters. Changing lives matter. In that context, 'matter' is what is important. What is correct in this context? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasleys Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Originally posted by govinda Okay. I understand. So I guess it doesn't change anything if the slogan is prefaced by 'what matters.' In other words, the full slogan would read as follows: What matters. Changing lives matter. In that context, 'matter' is what is important. What is correct in this context? Jennie, I don't see that makes any difference. It comes back to the changing/lives question. Is this a slogan you are creating? If so, what are you trying to say to people? Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 I'm with Michael on this one. Changing lives matter. This sentence means something like "people who are changing are important." In this sentence, "changing" is an adjective, and the verb agrees with the noun "lives." Changing lives matters. This sentence means something like "making a change to people's lives is important." In this sentence "changing" is a gerund, and "lives" is the object of the gerund; therefore, the verb agrees with "changing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irinka Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 The sentences are ambiguous, I agree with Jennie, and I agree with your interpretation, guys, as well. However, isn't it easier to put it like this: Changing lives matter - in this sentence it's the lives which head the noun phrase (changing lives, consisting of an adjunct "changing" (adjective in the premodifier position) and the head noun), the noun itself is important. Since the noun is in plural, and it's the subject of the sentence, the verb gets the zero-inflection, or no ending. If we compare this example with: talking toys are fun. In the other sentence: [changing lives] matter, it's an ing-participle clause that we have in the sentence initial position, it's the matter of changing that is important here, comp.: Playing tennis is fun. Another ambiguous sentence for you, Jennie: Visiting relatives can be a nuisance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manasi4gre Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 thanks for explaining these confusing & ambiguous sentences.your explainations cleared my doubts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuccizBud Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Sorry to hijack an old thread, but I'll give this a shot anyway ᎓ what I'm wondering is whether to use "neither matter" or "neither matters". Assume that two things, A and B, have already been named, so the reader knows what they are. Now I want to explain that neither of those two things really matter (or is it matters) — do I say ᎓ ⇒ "Neither matter." or do I say ᎓ ⇒ "Neither matters." Please and thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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