“Sue is one who …” - Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

“Sue is one who …”
Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

THE ONE OF A KIND OR ONE OF A CATEGORY ARGUMENT

Select the wrong verb in these sentences and you’ve changed the meaning dramatically. Should you say, “Trixy is one of the managers who falsifies time sheets” or “Trixy is one of the managers who falsify time sheets”?

The dilemma is deciding which verb goes with the subject who. Who is an indefinite pronoun, meaning that it can refer to either managers or Trixy. Flip the sentence around to reword it but retain the original meaning. Then the verb choice will become clear:

Of the managers, Trixy is the one falsifying time sheets. (If this is the meaning and you are writing “Trixy is one of the managers who falsifies time sheets,” you are correct. Who refers to one.)

Of the managers falsifying time sheets, Trixy is one. (If this is the meaning and you are writing, “Trixy is one of the managers who falsify time sheets,” you are correct. Who refers to managers.)

Let’s try another example: “Wilmo lost one of his accounts that (generates or generate?) hundreds of leads annually.” Which verb should it be? Reword the sentence to verify your meaning, and the correct verb will surface:

Of his accounts that generate hundreds of leads annually, Wilmo lost one. (Is this the intended meaning? If so, that refers to accounts and needs a plural verb: generate. It’s not likely that this is the meaning here.)

Of his accounts, Wilmo lost one that generates hundreds of leads annually. (Is this the intended meaning? If so, that refers to one and needs a singular verb: generates.)

Memory tip

To find the right verb, flip the sentence, keeping the meaning intact. The correct verb will rise to the occasion.