Custom question lists is available for testing - why?
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Custom question lists is available for testing
Maybe my question is stupid, but why is it correct? Why not "Custom question lists are available for testing"?
singular-vs-plural
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
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asked Aug 20 at 4:28
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up vote
9
down vote
favorite
There is a Meta SE post title
Custom question lists is available for testing
Maybe my question is stupid, but why is it correct? Why not "Custom question lists are available for testing"?
singular-vs-plural
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
There is a Meta SE post title
Custom question lists is available for testing
Maybe my question is stupid, but why is it correct? Why not "Custom question lists are available for testing"?
singular-vs-plural
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
There is a Meta SE post title
Custom question lists is available for testing
Maybe my question is stupid, but why is it correct? Why not "Custom question lists are available for testing"?
singular-vs-plural
singular-vs-plural
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
edited Aug 20 at 4:58
Em.♦
34.5k1096118
34.5k1096118
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
asked Aug 20 at 4:28
AVK
1484
1484
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
Normally, it would be ungrammatical. In this particular case, however, it makes sense.
Following it back to an original post, "Custom question lists: finding questions you can answer", here is how the new feature was described (emphasis in original text):
As we promised, we've been working on a replacement for new nav, and now it's time for us to start rolling it out. We're calling it custom question lists and we are really excited about its potential to help all users get at the questions that are most interesting to them.
Note that it's a single new feature.
In this use, custom questions lists is a proper noun (name), not a common noun. It could also have been called New Thingbot 1.0.
Although the name contains a word that takes a plural form (lists) the feature itself is singular.
I grant that this is confusing. Capital letters, or some other styling, could have been employed to make it explicit that when the feature is used in a sentence, it's clearly referring to its name rather than individual words.
Nonetheless, this is how it was named. The feature is singular, and so it's appropriate to use is.
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
 |Â
show 1 more comment
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
Normally, it would be ungrammatical. In this particular case, however, it makes sense.
Following it back to an original post, "Custom question lists: finding questions you can answer", here is how the new feature was described (emphasis in original text):
As we promised, we've been working on a replacement for new nav, and now it's time for us to start rolling it out. We're calling it custom question lists and we are really excited about its potential to help all users get at the questions that are most interesting to them.
Note that it's a single new feature.
In this use, custom questions lists is a proper noun (name), not a common noun. It could also have been called New Thingbot 1.0.
Although the name contains a word that takes a plural form (lists) the feature itself is singular.
I grant that this is confusing. Capital letters, or some other styling, could have been employed to make it explicit that when the feature is used in a sentence, it's clearly referring to its name rather than individual words.
Nonetheless, this is how it was named. The feature is singular, and so it's appropriate to use is.
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
 |Â
show 1 more comment
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
Normally, it would be ungrammatical. In this particular case, however, it makes sense.
Following it back to an original post, "Custom question lists: finding questions you can answer", here is how the new feature was described (emphasis in original text):
As we promised, we've been working on a replacement for new nav, and now it's time for us to start rolling it out. We're calling it custom question lists and we are really excited about its potential to help all users get at the questions that are most interesting to them.
Note that it's a single new feature.
In this use, custom questions lists is a proper noun (name), not a common noun. It could also have been called New Thingbot 1.0.
Although the name contains a word that takes a plural form (lists) the feature itself is singular.
I grant that this is confusing. Capital letters, or some other styling, could have been employed to make it explicit that when the feature is used in a sentence, it's clearly referring to its name rather than individual words.
Nonetheless, this is how it was named. The feature is singular, and so it's appropriate to use is.
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
 |Â
show 1 more comment
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
up vote
22
down vote
accepted
Normally, it would be ungrammatical. In this particular case, however, it makes sense.
Following it back to an original post, "Custom question lists: finding questions you can answer", here is how the new feature was described (emphasis in original text):
As we promised, we've been working on a replacement for new nav, and now it's time for us to start rolling it out. We're calling it custom question lists and we are really excited about its potential to help all users get at the questions that are most interesting to them.
Note that it's a single new feature.
In this use, custom questions lists is a proper noun (name), not a common noun. It could also have been called New Thingbot 1.0.
Although the name contains a word that takes a plural form (lists) the feature itself is singular.
I grant that this is confusing. Capital letters, or some other styling, could have been employed to make it explicit that when the feature is used in a sentence, it's clearly referring to its name rather than individual words.
Nonetheless, this is how it was named. The feature is singular, and so it's appropriate to use is.
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
Normally, it would be ungrammatical. In this particular case, however, it makes sense.
Following it back to an original post, "Custom question lists: finding questions you can answer", here is how the new feature was described (emphasis in original text):
As we promised, we've been working on a replacement for new nav, and now it's time for us to start rolling it out. We're calling it custom question lists and we are really excited about its potential to help all users get at the questions that are most interesting to them.
Note that it's a single new feature.
In this use, custom questions lists is a proper noun (name), not a common noun. It could also have been called New Thingbot 1.0.
Although the name contains a word that takes a plural form (lists) the feature itself is singular.
I grant that this is confusing. Capital letters, or some other styling, could have been employed to make it explicit that when the feature is used in a sentence, it's clearly referring to its name rather than individual words.
Nonetheless, this is how it was named. The feature is singular, and so it's appropriate to use is.
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
edited Aug 20 at 8:44
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
answered Aug 20 at 4:47
Jason Bassford
9,0141927
9,0141927
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
 |Â
show 1 more comment
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
1
1
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
Not that using are would be inappropriate or ungrammatical.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 13:53
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
I'll go further than your "could have". If it's a proper noun, it should be capitalized, if not quoted. "'Custom Question Lists' is available"
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 15:27
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
@MontyHarder The Canadian singer k.d. lang is a good example of "lowercase branding." I'm not saying I personally agree, just that it's a style decision that can be made.
– Jason Bassford
Aug 20 at 16:20
1
1
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
Yes, and Edwin Estin Cummings (who styled himself "e.e. Cummings") before. That a few people demand the rules be broken for them does not oblige anyone to submit to those demands and weaken a valuable linguistic convention. The use proper-noun capitalization rule provides helpful information, and neither Edwin nor Kathryn has made a good case for why we should stop providing that information.
– Monty Harder
Aug 20 at 16:32
1
1
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
@MontyH - There are times, though, where the words should not be capitalized, yet the same concept applies. For example: I thought advanced economics was the hardest subject I studied in college. Many style guides maintain that academic subjects should be written in all lower case, but the word economics in that sentence wouldn't be plural. In the OP's example, whether "custom question lists" is a proper noun can be debated; the key point is that the expression alludes to one single feature, so the singular works.
– J.R.♦
Aug 20 at 20:05
 |Â
show 1 more comment
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