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It is threads versus they are threads
they are known or knownPast Perfect or Present Perfect?Is this usage of the verb “had outfitted” correct?Present or Past in “They said they are/were breaking up”(Plural) + “are” + (noun) – is this usage correct?Which sentence is correct to use with “rather”?Why “Remarked the fish” works? Why not “The fish remarked”?'My brother and his fiancee had been together for two years.' Why 'had been' not 'have been'?Why are “they and don't” used here?Confusion in use of article 'an"
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I don't understand why the author used "It is" rather than They are in the following sentence.
It is threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
Why don't we say the following?
They are threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
grammar
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
add a comment |
I don't understand why the author used "It is" rather than They are in the following sentence.
It is threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
Why don't we say the following?
They are threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
grammar
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
add a comment |
I don't understand why the author used "It is" rather than They are in the following sentence.
It is threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
Why don't we say the following?
They are threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
grammar
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
I don't understand why the author used "It is" rather than They are in the following sentence.
It is threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
Why don't we say the following?
They are threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
system for execution on the processor.
grammar
grammar
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
asked Apr 29 at 6:37
Artificial Odorless ArmpitArtificial Odorless Armpit
15117
15117
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
This is a cleft sentence: "It is noun phrase that clause." In this construct, the pronoun is always "it"; it doesn't agree with the number (or gender) of anything. So it doesn't matter that threads or are are plural.
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
add a comment |
I would say that "It is" is definitely correct because "they are" totally changes the meaning. But I am struggling to say why.
The problem really is the use of the plural "threads". So a better version might be:
It is the thread, not the process, that is the unit scheduled ...
But that loses the fact that there are multiple threads that are scheduled.
Better:
It is the set of threads, not processes, that provide the units scheduled ...
So maybe we should consider that "threads" is being used as an uncountable noun (for the concept of threads) that just happens to look like a plural.
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
This is a cleft sentence: "It is noun phrase that clause." In this construct, the pronoun is always "it"; it doesn't agree with the number (or gender) of anything. So it doesn't matter that threads or are are plural.
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
add a comment |
This is a cleft sentence: "It is noun phrase that clause." In this construct, the pronoun is always "it"; it doesn't agree with the number (or gender) of anything. So it doesn't matter that threads or are are plural.
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
add a comment |
This is a cleft sentence: "It is noun phrase that clause." In this construct, the pronoun is always "it"; it doesn't agree with the number (or gender) of anything. So it doesn't matter that threads or are are plural.
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
This is a cleft sentence: "It is noun phrase that clause." In this construct, the pronoun is always "it"; it doesn't agree with the number (or gender) of anything. So it doesn't matter that threads or are are plural.
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
answered Apr 29 at 8:07
AnonymousAnonymous
8166
8166
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
add a comment |
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
1
1
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
I agree with this answer, and a cleft sentence is one type of use of dummy pronouns. I think the only dummy pronouns in English are "it", "there", and the "wh-" relative pronouns, but never "they".
– aschepler
Apr 29 at 12:20
add a comment |
I would say that "It is" is definitely correct because "they are" totally changes the meaning. But I am struggling to say why.
The problem really is the use of the plural "threads". So a better version might be:
It is the thread, not the process, that is the unit scheduled ...
But that loses the fact that there are multiple threads that are scheduled.
Better:
It is the set of threads, not processes, that provide the units scheduled ...
So maybe we should consider that "threads" is being used as an uncountable noun (for the concept of threads) that just happens to look like a plural.
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
add a comment |
I would say that "It is" is definitely correct because "they are" totally changes the meaning. But I am struggling to say why.
The problem really is the use of the plural "threads". So a better version might be:
It is the thread, not the process, that is the unit scheduled ...
But that loses the fact that there are multiple threads that are scheduled.
Better:
It is the set of threads, not processes, that provide the units scheduled ...
So maybe we should consider that "threads" is being used as an uncountable noun (for the concept of threads) that just happens to look like a plural.
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
add a comment |
I would say that "It is" is definitely correct because "they are" totally changes the meaning. But I am struggling to say why.
The problem really is the use of the plural "threads". So a better version might be:
It is the thread, not the process, that is the unit scheduled ...
But that loses the fact that there are multiple threads that are scheduled.
Better:
It is the set of threads, not processes, that provide the units scheduled ...
So maybe we should consider that "threads" is being used as an uncountable noun (for the concept of threads) that just happens to look like a plural.
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
I would say that "It is" is definitely correct because "they are" totally changes the meaning. But I am struggling to say why.
The problem really is the use of the plural "threads". So a better version might be:
It is the thread, not the process, that is the unit scheduled ...
But that loses the fact that there are multiple threads that are scheduled.
Better:
It is the set of threads, not processes, that provide the units scheduled ...
So maybe we should consider that "threads" is being used as an uncountable noun (for the concept of threads) that just happens to look like a plural.
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
answered Apr 29 at 7:21
James RandomJames Random
5268
5268
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
add a comment |
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
2
2
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
It is oranges I like, not apples. That is clearly plural, and yet the singular verb makes sense. (The subject is it, not the plural things.) In this case, I think that the singular can apply, regardless of the plurality of the object. I believe it's a dummy pronoun, as in it is raining. We could also say it is many small things that can drive somebody to distraction.
– Jason Bassford
Apr 29 at 7:55
add a comment |
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