58
The answer depends on the exact wording.
If you say exactly what you wrote, "One cake is good but four is/are better", then the correct answer is "are". There's an implied "cakes" after "four", "four CAKES are better". "Four cakes" is clearly plural, so you should use the plural verb.
But now make a ...
40
From a computing perspective, I would not perceive a negative connotation to the word “disabled”, as it is a very common term. Part of the negative connotation it has in referring to people is precisely because it is so commonly used in connection to inanimate objects.
However, there is a difference in subtext between “disabled” and “not enabled” and it ...
35
I would tend towards is in this case, because to me the underlying meaning of this sentence is "(having) One cake is good, but (having) 4 is better"
Using are here sounds vaguely off to me for that reason.
12
They are dependant on context – whether a feature or property is usually available. For example
The password protection has been disabled.
Administrator access has not been enabled.
So although they appear to be synonyms, there can be additional information implied by the writer, or inferred by the reader.
11
Grammatically, either may be used. However, the meaning would be different. I'm going to assume you're not intending to describe the quality of the cakes themselves, but rather the fact that you prefer having four over having one. In this case, you should use is.
To make this more clear, consider if we used are. This would mean that the implied word "...
7
In some contexts "disabled" can also mean "not changeable" or "not available", especially when used with a passive voice ("this option has been disabled").
For example a checkbox can be turned on, turned off or be disabled.
7
Specifically in a computing context, they may differ in meaning depending on the normal default value. However, it's not guaranteed that these implications can be drawn.
"Disabled" might imply that the default is enabled, and an action has been taken by someone or something to disable it. Or it may be a simple statement of fact.
"Not enabled&...
6
I don't think an American would try to be precise as '9 feet' unless it was somehow important. In the context of sitting distance it seems unimportant to me so it's more likely they'd say 'roughly 9 feet away' or 'about 9 feet away' than anything else. Now even more likely is that they round up to 10 feet as then it becomes clear that it's an estimate. If ...
6
Both can be correct, or conversely, incorrect. It all depends on whether the sentence is intended to communicate a singular or a plural. While I think the most likely usage would be is, since better refers back to four, and four in this case would be a group (of four cakes), the sentence is ambiguous. As noted, are could also be used, and that would change ...
5
Looking at all of the answers and comments, I find I am siding with steffishnz and TonyK. As they have both emphasized, Saying One cake is good, but four are better could mean you are talking about specific cakes that are better than the supposed one cake.
So, in the original sentence, I interpreted the meaning to mean [Having] one cake is good, but [having] ...
5
Relatively small distances (such as 9 feet/3 yards) would normally be given in feet, as yards introduce too much "slop" (plus or minus amount) for comfort. 3 yards would technically mean somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 yards (7.5 to 10.5 feet), which is too imprecise for most people when talking about such distances. 9 feet would be 8.5 to 9.5 feet, ...
5
In my experience, Americans rarely use yards as a unit of measurement in everyday conversation unless they're talking about golf, American football, or distances that are more than 50 feet or so.
5
I think the negative connotation you perceive is related to speaking about people, which is actually the first meaning on this dictionary.
As far as definitions go, enabled and disabled are opposites (see 1c here versus 2 above).
As long as we make clear we are not talking about people there is no problem using the word disabled.
"Make sure the delete ...
4
Depending on context, yes, disabled can have a negative connotation. In the past it has been used to refer to individuals whom have a physical or mental impairment, but the word has fallen out of favor. As far as computing contexts, disabled and not enabled mean the same thing.
Note: I'm aware that some people might want to dispute that, saying that not ...
3
"Popper" is an Australian term which I think comes from how when you're finished you can blow the carton up and jump on it to make a "pop" sound (although not too certain on this). I think however that this is a regional variation within Australia even as some people (esp. Victorians and Tasmanians) call it a "Juice box" and ...
3
While a vaguer term might include everything you need it to and more, I think it is best to be precise, especially in formal writing. If your connotations are the number of terms and the numbers of courses, then one refers to time and the other to variety. You could therefore say:
the length and diversity of the programme
Diversity is defined as
the fact ...
3
The American measurement system developed in a way that there is a bit of overlap between units. Your example is in one of those regions where either would be appropriate and not unwieldy. There is some dependency on the setting as to which unit of measurement would be more appropriate.
Yards are typically used for outdoor measurements where the distances ...
3
If you think that they heard and understood, but lacked interest or motivation to do anything about what you were saying, you might say they were "dismissive" or "indifferent".
If you think that they deliberately ignored unpleasant, or uncomfortable facts for their own convenience, you could say they ignored or 'turned a blind eye' to ...
2
"Length, breadth and depth of the program". This allows you to describe the structure in two dimensions.
A broad program covers many different topics. A deep program covers only a few topics but covers those very completely. A long program lasts for many terms and so allows for greater breadth and/or depth.
However "scope" and "...
2
The number four is grammatically singular, a group of four things is grammatically singular, and four things are grammatically plural.
This sentence is ambiguous, because there’s a missing word in the sentence that the listener is supposed to fill in from context. Personally, I took the sentence to mean, “Four [cakes] are better,” with the word “cakes” ...
2
Both are correct.
There are three four! four! possible interpretations. There isn’t really any difference in meaning between the first three, and I don’t believe the fourth is plausible, so it’s entirely up to you whether you use “is” or “are”.
The subject is an implied noun. The noun is quantified by “four”, so it must be a plural, and “are” agrees with it:...
2
‘Discontinued’ is the most appropriate though you wouldn’t really need to use it because as the course Itself has been discontinued it stands to reason that it’s contents (the syllabus) have too. You would only really need to refer to the syllabus independently if the course if it had been changed in some way
2
I would probably call this a "shared address". But I don't believe there is any term in English describing this sort of thing.
Note that there are plenty of function-based addresses that can still be routed to just one person, webmaster@domain or postmaster@domain for example. While large companies may have more than one person handle these ...
2
As someone who has maintained these kinds of email addresses in a helpdesk job, we called these generic email addresses
1
Several answers are wrong, including the one with the most votes.
If you are making a statement about the items themselves, use “are”. If making a statement about the number of items, us “is”.
Correct usages:
“One cake is good, but four is better.” The statement is about the number.
“I ate ten cakes. Your cake is great, but four are better. Five are worse.” ...
1
The example sentence itself is ambiguous.
If the cakes are being compared for quality, then one cake is good, but four (others) are better is absolutely correct.
If Billy Bunter is quoted: (eating) one cake is good, but (eating) four is better will also be correct.
So without any other clues from the surrounding text from the story, it depends...
1
A good test of whether you have the right word is if you can reverse the statement:
What you need is a holiday.
A holiday is what you need.
Both of these are idiomatic.
"That which" isn't really used that often in modern English. The classic Shakespeare quote "that which we call a rose" would probably be rendered as "what we call a ...
1
It is a complete utterance. It doesn't require anything else and listeners would not require you to say anything more.
Whether it is a sentence or not is more doubtful. It doesn't have a main finite clause. Most greetings are complete interjections like this. Just because something is an interjection doesn't make it a fragment. "Good afternoon!" ...
1
Hello, everyone!, a greeting addressed to all those present or listening, is a valid sentence.
Good morning/afternoon/evening are all common greetings, a little more formal than hello or hi. Good night is usually reserved for parting.
1
Do you think a user will run the program? If you think "yes, they will" then use "When". If you think it is possible but you are not sure, the use "if".
When Jack comes home, I will give him this present. (I know Jack will come home)
If Jack comes home, I will give him this present. (It is possible that Jack won't come home)...
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