Sentence 014 Let the cat out of the bag.
014 One of my friend is a drummer.
014 One of my friend’s is a drummer.
014 One of my friends is a drummer.
Leslie: Which of these sentences is the worst?
Giselle: I think the second: ’One of my friend’s is a drummer.’
L: Why?
G: Because there are two mistakes in it. One is that ’friend’s’ is Singular and it should be Plural. The ’s doesn’t make it Plural.
L: You are right. What is the other problem?
G: The ’s itself. I can’t tell you but it is strange.
L: Right again. The ’s doesn’t make it Plural because it is in the Possessive Case. It indicates Ownership and it should have an Object to show what your friend owns.
G: Now, I see.
L: Which Sentence is also wrong?
G: ’One of my friend is a drummer.’
L: Why?
G: Because it is Singular and it should be Plural. With a Plural Noun, it means ’one of more, or one of many’.
L: Do you think it should be formally Plural, or Plural in Meaning?
G: Sorry, I don’t understand.
L: OK. What if we use ’the group’, or ’the band’? These are Plural in their Meaning but not in their Form.
G: Now, I see. What is important is the Plural Meaning; if you can give it with a Singular Noun, it’s perfectly alright.
L: Can you give other examples for Singular form with Plural Meaning?
G: I can give one or two, but I’m interested in more if it’s OK. ’Family’ is one.
L: Good. And we call People in the Family ’Members’ or ’Relatives’.
G: By the way, ’People’ is another one.
L: You are right, and we call a Group of Citizens ’People’.
Here, we can make a long list of Groups, followed by the Members in the Group.
Sometimes, we also need a definition or a paraphrase of either the Group or its Members. Some of you will be surprised by the high number of such Groups that exist in English.
- Animal Group – different animals
- Cattle – cows
- Herd – sheep
- Swineherd – hogs, pigs
- Flock – birds
- Pack – wolves
- Shoal – fish
- Army – Soldiers
- Navy - Marines
- Air Force – pilots, crew, and land support
- Assembly – Members of a Church, also Members of a sort of Parliament
- Band – musicians
- Board – Directors and other Executives
- Brotherhood – Members of an Organization who are united for a Common Purpose
- Caucus – Members of a Political Special Interest Group
- Circle – Members of a Group who share a Common Interest in Science or Culture
- Class – Members of a Social Stratum
- Clique – Members of a Special Interest Group who tend to exclude others
- Collection – Objects collected for their price, value or beauty
- Colony – a Group of People who have gone to live in a Colony
- Committee – a Group of People who are chosen to do a certain task
- Community – a Group of people with a common background
- Congregation – the Members of a Specific Church
- Contingent – Members of a Group of Military Personnel
- Council – a Group of People elected to Govern a District
- Crew – Ship’s Staff, or Staff on an Aircraft
- Delegation – a Group of People Chosen to Represent Somebody
- Dream Team – a Group of handpicked [Basketball] Players
- Dyad – a Group of Two People in Sociology – a Minimal Group
- Ensemble – a Group of Dancers, Actors, or Musicians who Perform Together
- Faculty – the Teaching Staff of a certain University Division
- Flashmob – a Spontaneous Gathering of People
- Focus Group – a small Group of Representative People who are Questioned about their Opinion
- Foursome – a Group of 4 People taking part in an Activity Together
- Fraction – a Part or Element of a Larger Group
- Gang – a Group of Criminals
- Generation – a Group of Contemporaries
- Depression Era Generation – Born 1912-1921
- World War II Generation – Born 1922-1927
- Post-War Cohort – Born 1928-1945
- Baby Boomers – Born 1946-1954
- Boomer II – Born 1955-1965
- Generation X – Born 1966-1976
- Generation Y – Born 1977-1994
- Generation Z – Born 1995-2012
- Harem – the Wives and Concubines in a Traditional Muslim Home
- House – All Members of the House of Representatives
- In-Goup – Mmebers of a Group of People who share Common Interests, Values or Attitudes
- Jury – usually 12 People chosen to Give a Verdict on a Legal Case
- League – a Group of Sports Clubs
- Line-Up – a List of Players chosen to Start a Game
- Lobby – Members of a Group trying to Influence Policy
- Mafia – Members of a Secret Criminal Organization
- Majority – Greater number of People or Things
- Media – Television, Radio, Printed Press and the Internet
- Minority – Smaller number of People or Things
- Mob – a Large and Unruly Crowd of People
- Movement – a Collective Effort by a Large Group of People
- Nation – People of Same Ethnicity
- New Wave – New and Innovative Movement in the Arts
- Orchestra – a Group of Players usually Playing Classical Music
- Pair – a Group of Two People
- Party – a Group of People who are Doing Something Together
- Peer Group – Members of a Group of Equals
- Phalanx – a Group of Soldiers attacking in Close Formation
- Police – an Organized Group of People whose job is Maintaining Order
- Public – the Community as a Whole
- Rank – a Line of Soldiers Standing Side by Side
- Rank and File – the Majority of a Group or Organization
- Relay – Members of a Replacement Team, as in 4x 100 m
- Ring – a Group of People operating Dishonestly or Unethically
- Sect – Members of a Nonmainstream Religious Group
- Section – a Group of People forming a Unit within a Larger group
- SIG – Special Interest Group
- Sisterhood – a Group of Women who have Shared Goals
- Squad – One of Three or Four Groups of Soldiers that make up a Platoon
- Staff – People who Work for a Leader
- Steering Committee – a Group of Selected People who Set up Agendas
- Syndicate – a Group of People who Combine to Carry out a Business
- Table – a Group of People Sitting at a Table
- Team – Cooperatively Functioning Group
- Think Tank – Committee of Experts who Do Research or Give Advice
- Tribe – a Division of a Society who have Common Ancestors
- Trinity – a Group of Three