more than one

more than one
Although this phrase obviously expresses a plural idea, it is followed by a verb in the singular: "More than one story about this event has been printed." The verb is singular because of its relation (attraction) to one, not more. If the phrase is divided, however, the verb becomes plural: "More stories about this event than one have been printed." The same grammatical consideration applies to the phrase "all but one": "Sue says that all but one child has been fed." "All of the fifteen children but one were fed."

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • more than one — index multiple, several (plural) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • More Than One Universe — More Than One Universe: The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke   …   Wikipedia

  • more than one string to their bow — A person who has more than one string to their bow has different talents or skills to fall back on …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • more than one way to skin a cat — When people say that there is more than one way to skin a cat, they mean that there are different ways of achieving the same thing …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • more than one can tell — index innumerable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • more than one can poke a stick at — adjective occurring in abundance; of a large quantity; many Check out this shop! They have more kinds of carpet than you can poke a stick at! Syn: more than one can shake a stick at …   Wiktionary

  • more than one can shake a stick at — adjective occurring in abundance; of a large quantity; many Any English High Street has more Indian Restaurants than you can shake a stick at. Syn: more than one can poke a stick at …   Wiktionary

  • more than one can chew — See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • more than one can chew — See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • more than one way to skin a cat — usually applied to felines but in the southern United States where eating catfish (Ictaluridae) is common, applied to a fish and also meaning there is more than one way to do something …   Dictionary of ichthyology

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