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Autor:  PPAULO
E-mail:  não-disponível
Data:  28/MAR/2014 12:23 PM
Assunto:  "many a" how to use it?
 
Mensagem:  I think so.  To me it´s a bit formal, though.
Further comments on the subject are welcome.



Notice:
QUESTION
When we use 'many a man' the personal pronoun for the words is they or him as we are using 'many a man is,' not 'many a man are'
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Malaysia  Mon, May 10, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You're right to use the singular verb with "many a man." Use singular pronouns to go with the construction also: "Many a man has lost his life at sea." Burchfield describes this construction as "notionally plural" but singular in usage.

Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.


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 English Made in Brazil -- English, Portuguese, & contrastive linguistics
"many a" how to use it?  –  Fran  27/MAR/2014, 4:52 PM
 "many a" how to use it?  –  PPAULO  28/MAR/2014, 12:23 PM
"many a" how to use it?  –  Dale Thomas / USA  28/MAR/2014, 2:53 PM
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