Bacteria grows in damp conditions. OR
Bacteria grow in damp conditions.
The only difference is grow or grows, treating the word "bacteria" as either a singular or plural noun. I was taught that when you are speaking of something like bacteria, which is innumerable, you treat it like a singular noun... but I am having a disagreement with someone very stubborn who doesn't believe me. What do you think?
2006-12-21 16:49:34 · 17 answers · asked by laura 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Bacteria is the plural of bacterium, and the many forms of bacteria are not necessarily innumerable.
Other examples: medium/media, opus/opera...
The second sentence is correct.
2006-12-21 16:51:20 · answer #1 · answered by Pythonette 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The correct answer is Bacteria grow in damp conditions. The reason for this is that Bacteria is plural - similar to Mitochondria being the plural of Mitochondria. When using a plural you take the s off of the verb (like a chicken grows, chickens grow). Treat "Bacteria" like you were saying "Bacterias".
2006-12-21 16:59:34 · answer #2 · answered by Keegarosan 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bacteria grow in damp conditions
bacteria = plural so grows couldn't make sense
2006-12-21 16:53:16 · answer #3 · answered by krngooksoo5968 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its one of those funky latin endings I hate those....octopuses or octopi....ack really.
bacteria is actually the plural. so the proper would be bacteria grows.
However, and there is a however in the english language for every rule.
bacteria as a singular and a plural is becoming more and more practiced. Give it 50 years and it will absolutely be used in this fashion.
now lets change the sentence around to read fish in the place of bacteria.
Can the fish grow (more than one fish or more than one type of fish) or can the fish grows (as only one fish in its entirity like your kid's' gold fish)?
HINT: The 2nd example of mine is incorrect.
2006-12-21 19:35:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both are correct, you use the word "bacteria" regardless. The same way you can say, "We saw a deer in the meadow this afternoon, and later in the evening we saw several more deer." The word in that sentence is "deer" regardless of whether it is singular or plural. It's the same way with the word bacteria.
2006-12-21 17:36:17 · answer #5 · answered by Lioness 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bacteria is plural. Bacterium is singular. Bacteria grow. Bacterium grows.
2006-12-21 18:01:13 · answer #6 · answered by buggeredmom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it should be used with the plural form of the verb: "the bacteria causing salmonella are killed by thorough cooking, not the bacteria...is killed...". However, the unfamiliarity of the form means that bacteria is often mistakenly treated as a singular form.
2006-12-21 17:18:25 · answer #7 · answered by Eris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends. They are both initially correct. If you are talking about a single spore of bacteria then it'd be Bacteria grows in damp conditions.
If you are talking about a bundle of them it'd be bacteria grow in damp conditions.
2006-12-21 16:53:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
No, it is not correct as is. A better way to phrase it would be, "Your dreams will be crushed by hard, cold reality, leaving you with nothing but a lifetime of misery and regret."
2016-05-23 12:59:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
grow
2006-12-21 17:13:01 · answer #10 · answered by Nora 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋