Has or have?

We received this question from a Write Now reader:

Should I say ‘a block of bedrooms has / have been reserved’? I think it is ‘has’ as it refers to the block, but on past papers I can see it has said ‘have’. Please advise.
Sandra

Thanks, Sandra: good question.

You’re right, of course, that the verb refers to the ‘block’ and should logically be ‘has’, as you suggest.

But ‘a block of’ is actually what is known as a singular expression, along with phrases such as ‘a number of’, ‘a group of’ or ‘a majority of’.   Although ‘number’, ‘group’ and ‘majority’ are singular nouns, we know that they implicitly refer to more than one individual, so they are followed by plural verbs.

So, in this case, I would go with the ‘have’: ‘a block of bedrooms have been reserved’.

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Catie joined Emphasis with an English literature and creative writing degree and a keen interest in what makes language work. Having researched, written, commissioned and edited dozens of articles for the Emphasis blog, she now knows more about the intricacies of effective professional writing than she ever thought possible.

She produced and co-wrote our online training programme, The Complete Business Writer, and these days oversees all the Emphasis marketing efforts. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level.