Question

Complete these sentences by choosing the correct forms of the words given in brackets. There are five (man / men ) and one (women/woman) in the room

Answer 1

The correct sentence completion using the words in brackets are 'five men' and 'one woman'. To avoid gender bias and ensure subject-verb agreement, the form of nouns and pronouns should follow both number agreement and gender neutrality, using terms appropriate to the context.

Step-by-step explanation:

When completing the sentences by choosing the correct forms of the words given in brackets, you should look at the number and gender implications of the nouns in question. The correct forms would be:

• There are five men in the room.
• And one woman in the room.

When considering subject-verb agreement, you should determine if the subject is singular or plural, or if it's a collective noun which can be either depending on whether the group acts individually or as a single unit. For singular generic nouns or indefinite pronouns with no gender-neutral third-person pronoun in English, 'his or her' or elimination of the pronoun can be used to avoid gender bias.

Reviewing language bias involves substituting gender-specific words with gender-neutral ones such as changing 'chairman' to 'chairperson' or 'fireman' to 'firefighter' to ensure language inclusivity.

Answer 2

To complete the given sentences, the correct forms are 'men' and 'woman.' Gender-neutral language is vital in contemporary writing to avoid bias. Subject-verb agreement is important and varies depending on whether collective nouns or generic nouns act as singular or plural units.

Step-by-step explanation:

To complete the sentences by choosing the correct forms of the words given in the brackets, we would say: 'There are five men and one woman in the room.' It is important to use the correct form of the noun to agree with the number of people being referred to.

In contemporary English writing, it is essential to avoid language that is biased based on sex and gender. For instance, to eliminate gender bias, use gender-neutral language, such as 'each doctor,' 'the technician,' 'a writer,' 'a congressman,' and 'a doctor' with pronouns 'their' or restructuring sentences to avoid pronoun use where gender is not specified or relevant.

Practice in subject-verb agreement is crucial in English grammar. Collective nouns and generic nouns often lead to confusion in verb agreement but there are clear rules to follow. Sentences such as 'The band rehearses every Thursday,' demonstrate singular agreement, whereas 'The union members still disagree on the contract terms,' show plural agreement.