Some - Singular or Plural

The word some can be translated as: いくらか(の), いくつか(の), 多少(の), 何人[個, 件 etc.]かの.¹
Therefore, Japanese writers tend to use a plural verb with some. However, native English speakers also make mistakes with this word because some can take a singular verb or a plural verb depending on the noun it modifies and the context of usage. Here are some examples:

Some fruit is rotten
Some apples are rotten.

Some coffee is expensive.
Some brands of coffee are expensive.

Some water was on the table.
Some cups of water were on the table.

My hair is gray.
Some hairs are gray.

Some advice is useful.
Some pieces of advice are useful.

Some of the students were sick.
Some of the class was sick.

Some cake was eaten.
Some cookies were eaten.

Some piece is missing.
Some pieces are missing.

Do these examples help you understand the correct usage? If you have any questions, leave a comment below, send me an email, or just ask me in class!

Further Reading:

The Guide to Grammar and Writing by the Capital Community College Foundation
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/sv_agr.htm

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1. CD-ビジネス技術 実用英語大辞典 英和・和英/用例・文例 第4版

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Disclaimer

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This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purpose of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.1 Japan License.

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アンミ英会話教室
２３４－００５３神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央２－６－３
パークサイド日野１０２号
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/ | support@anmi-eikaiwa.com
Tel. 045-841-4218 | Fax 045-841-4288
携帯リンク http://www.anmiweb.com/mobile/

Purdue Online Writing Lab Tips: Use Titles with Surnames

"Titles are used only with family names. Some people will mistakenly apply a title to a given name (for example, “Ms. Nancy” for a graduate student named Nancy Krajenski). Addressing someone this way comes across as unusual, and even as a bit of a joke. Instead, use only family names (“last names”) with titles (“Ms. Krajenski”)."

The same goes for your own name in a formal self introduction, for example:

◎　My name is Chip Sorensen.
◎　My name is Mr. Sorensen.
×　My name is Mr. Chip.
×　My name is Sorensen.

Remember, when writing or speaking, if you only use your last name, then you should use Mr., Mrs., or Ms. with your last name--even when you are talking about yourself. If your last name is also your nickname, then you could say, "Hi. I'm Mr. Suzuki. Please just call me Suzuki."

Note: There are groups of people who often use only a last name without Mr., Mrs., or Ms.: military personnel (soldiers, sailors, etc.), police officers, prisoners, prison guards, sports coaches, fellow sports team players, mean bosses in an office, and many more.

Another note: [Mr./Mrs./Ms. + Name] does NOT equal [Name + ちゃん・くん・君・さん・様・等]. We use the the title INSTEAD of the first name.

Online Writing Lab
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana U.S.A.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/684/1

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Disclaimer

---

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purpose of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

---

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.1 Japan License.

---

アンミ英会話教室
２３４－００５３神奈川県横浜市港南区日野中央２－６－３
パークサイド日野１０２号
http://www.anmi-eikaiwa.com/ | support@anmi-eikaiwa.com
Tel. 045-841-4218 | Fax 045-841-4288
携帯リンク http://www.anmiweb.com/mobile/

Apple and American Red Cross Accepting Haiti Relief Donations thru iTunes

Sadly, the news coverage of the Haiti earthquake has been miniscule in Japan. Conversely, coverage of the disaster has been quite extensive on a daily basis in the States. I wonder why the disparity?

For those of us who live in Japan, we can now send donations via the iTunes store in amounts of Y500, Y1,000, Y2,500, Y5,000, Y10,000, and Y20,000.

The donation will be charged to the credit card that you have registered with your iTunes Store account. Your donation will be sent to the American Red Cross. Rest assured that the American Red Cross is a reputable organization that you can trust. If you haven't already, I encourage all my friends, students, and colleagues in Japan to donate.

More information in Japanese is available at these links:

iTunes Storeでハイチ地震救援募金受付：
https://buy.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/buyCharityGiftWizard

広田稔／ASCII.jp編集部：
http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/490/490581/

ハイチ大地震に便乗したオンライン詐欺、シマンテックが注意喚起
http://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20100115_342594.html

ヤフーやニフティなど、ハイチ地震の被災者への募金を受け付け
http://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20100115_342613.html

ハイチ地震救援金
http://volunteer.yahoo.co.jp/donation/detail/1301013/index.html

ハイチ大地震被害の救援金を受付けます
http://www.jrc.or.jp/contribution/l3/Vcms3_00001446.html