If I see several people cleaning a room, how should I ask who they are?
Who IS cleaning the room?
or
Who ARE cleaning the room?
Thank you.
2007-03-30 21:37:08 · 20 answers · asked by f_vidigal 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
but there ARE several people cleaning the room! Are you sure is not ARE?
2007-03-30 21:42:36 · update #1
An English teacher said the most used is "IS", but the correct way is "ARE"!
2007-03-30 21:52:06 · update #2
Who ARE cleaning the room would be the grammatically correct usage of subject/verb agreement. This would only be the case if you knew that several people were cleaning the room. Think of it this way. You could also rephrase the question, "Who are those people cleaning the room?"
2007-03-31 01:55:24 · answer #1 · answered by Bean Counter 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you do not know the number, you would use: Who is cleaning the room?
NOTE: If you know how many people are cleaning the room and would like to the know who they are, you would probably use: Who are the people cleaning the room?
Who is cleaning the room is more commonly use as usually one would not now how many people are inside.
So grammatically, it is not wrong, also, to answer a question 'who is...' with two or more names."
eg. Who is cleaning the room?
John and James are cleaning the room.
2007-03-31 06:17:11 · answer #2 · answered by hoxyho 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You would say: "Who IS cleaning the room?"
because although it's singular and there are actually several people cleaning the room, when you're asking about it you probably don't know that they are several so you just ask in singular. Also it is singular because you are asking about the action that IS being done no matter how many people ARE doing it.
2007-03-31 04:45:28 · answer #3 · answered by d 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The general choice will be "Who is cleaning the room?" because it's a collective, or a good bet to be a collective. One would assume the several people are members of a single group, perhaps a janitorial service, rather than random individuals who are perhaps tidier-minded than average.
2007-03-31 04:52:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh, this crazy English language! I'm a native speaker, and you *must* say "Who is cleaning this room?"
But it'd be more natural to say, "Hey, who are you guys?" Or "Who are the people who are supposed to clean this room?" Or possibly, "Who are you guys cleaning this room?"
If you want to get away from the slang-y "guys," "Who are you people?" would be correct -- but it sounds slightly British and a little peeved.
2007-03-31 04:52:28 · answer #5 · answered by Madame M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it wudnt be fine if u ask who is cleaning the room after u find many people involved in the job instead u cud ask this way who are all cleaning the room
2007-03-31 04:48:26 · answer #6 · answered by sweetu 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who is generally considered singular, even if it is plural. When a person asks Who as a question, the reply may be more than one person, but still asked in a singular form. For example, the group is going to the movies. The gang is all here. Who is collective singular. The gang is all here, and they are going to go downtown next is correct. Confusing, but correct.
2007-03-31 05:30:53 · answer #7 · answered by javi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
who are cleaning the room?
better say, who cleaned the room?
2007-03-31 05:51:12 · answer #8 · answered by Celine 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the answer is who is cleaning the room. since the action of cleaning is of a single room , hence singular, it should be written as is and if it was rooms, it would have been are.
2007-03-31 04:51:37 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
who is cleaning this room
2007-03-31 04:43:32 · answer #10 · answered by harrisonousa 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋