A constructio kata synesin (or constructio ad sensum in Latin) is a grammatical construct in which a word takes the sex or number not of the word with which it should correspond regularly, but of another word that is implicit in that word. It is basically a matching of words with meaning, instead of the morphosytic form. [1] The idea here is that the verb is plural to correspond to “croutons,” although the singular “there” is technically the theme of this sentence. This is why croutons are a fictional subject. Simply put, a fictitious chord occurs when the agreement between a subject and its verb (or, in some cases, a pronoun and its predecessor) is determined by meaning and not by form. If we do not reach a formal agreement, we are going to a fictitious agreement. It`s just an old contract. Nothing fictitious about it. But sometimes things aren`t that simple. In these cases, we rely on meaning – the term behind words – and we base our grammar on that.

Hence the idea of a fictitious agreement. With regard to dissidents, such as Mr. Cairns, Garners Modern American Usage scornfully remarks: “Some pedants think that correctness dictates a certain number of people.” I agree, but I would not have said it that way. The insistence on reaching a formal agreement in all circumstances is not pedantry; It`s ignorance. It is a synesis or a fictitious agreement between the subject and the verb, contrary to a formal agreement. But there are times when the arrangement of what is considered an “agreement” is not so obvious, because what sounds like a single name is truly plural, or what sounds like a plural noun is essentially singular. This concept is called fictitious chord, also known as fictitious concord or synese. Another situation in which you see the fictional match in the game includes words like “Crew,” “couple,” “couple” and “trio.” These words are unique.

But sometimes it makes more sense to work with the idea that they represent a plural. “The crew is all stamped and ready to come to work.” “The couple was seen leaving in a grey car.” Prescriber H. W. Fowler supports a fictitious agreement in several cases. In his Dictionary of Modern English Usage, he wrote to “none”: “It is a mistake to assume that the pronoun sings. only – should be followed at all costs to sing. Word and c.; The OED expressly states that pl. commoner construction is. Some frequent cases of fictitious agreement involve (1) collective nouns (z.B”family”); (2) plural expressions of quantity (“five years”); (3) pluralistic nomads (“United States”); and (4) a few units composed with and (“Bed and Breakfast”).