question on grammar

[James A. Landau <JJJRLandau@netscape.com>]

In a manual the author originally wrote "The report is...".  Then it turned out that there might be more than one report, so it was changed to "The report(s) are..."

Question:  should that be "report(s) is" or "report(s) are"?


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Off-topic --- Heard or seen this week:

"at six we will take a tuna break"  (actually plausible, since the nearest eatery still open at six serves tuna sandwiches.

"between Iraq and a hard place"

spray-painted on the rear window of a car being towed to a junkyard: "IN TOE"

the cafeteria Tuesday served "barbecued pork with carmelized onions".  Now I can imagine a kibbutz on Mount Carmel which grows onions for the export trade, but what will the kibbutzniks think of their onions being served with pork?

"power to authorize power"  (meaning "authority to authorize additional equipment being plugged into a power line")

Doctor to patient:  "Don't give in to mediocracy.  Do your exercises."

about job-hunting in Florida:  "alligator catching and other public service jobs"

a joke going around the lab, about a certain demonstration of new air traffic control software: "the controllers flew here for the demo and drove home".

    - James A. Landau

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