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Original poster

Which is correct?

23 replies

TwigTheWonderKid · 30/04/2024 13:48

I'm blaming my chemo brain for this; I promise I can usually write correctly and confidently.

I wrote:

Thousands of pounds worth of play equipment has been provided...

but my colleague has corrected the has to have. That's not right, is it?

OP posts:
KittyCollar · 30/04/2024 13:50

It’s “has”

idontlikealdi · 30/04/2024 13:50

Has. Sorry you are in chemo brain.

Katesyd · 30/04/2024 13:52

It’s “has”. One lot of equipment has been provided.

KittyCollar · 30/04/2024 13:53

@Katesyd Precisely

OpusGiemuJavlo · 30/04/2024 13:54

Has.

Because in this sentence "play equipment" is a unitary thing like "a pile of gold coins has been left on my front doorstep"

Whereas if it was "thousands of items of play equipment" it would be have because it becomes theoretically countable like "a large number of gold coins have been left on my front doorstep"

KeepSmiling89 · 30/04/2024 13:56

Agree with previous posters - 'has' is correct.

ringoffiire · 30/04/2024 14:09

It's 'has'.

'Have' is plural (e.g. two pieces of play equipment have been provided...)

'Thousands of pounds of play equipment' is singular.

ringoffiire · 30/04/2024 14:12

OpusGiemuJavlo · 30/04/2024 13:54

Has.

Because in this sentence "play equipment" is a unitary thing like "a pile of gold coins has been left on my front doorstep"

Whereas if it was "thousands of items of play equipment" it would be have because it becomes theoretically countable like "a large number of gold coins have been left on my front doorstep"

Yes.

To simplify further, it's just singular vs plural.

In this context 'has' is used with the singular, and 'have' with the plural.

iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14

Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.

Fromage · 30/04/2024 14:18

I think it's "Thousands of pounds' worth of play equipment has been provided..."

The thing provided is the play equipment (singular) and I think you need an apostrophe after 'pounds' because it's a possessive?

Fromage · 30/04/2024 14:20

Compare with 'Some really lovely play equipment has been provided....' or just 'equipment has been provided.'

iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:21

Oops, I've changed my mind. I'm wrong.'Has' is correct.

CarolinaInTheMorning · 30/04/2024 14:22

iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14

Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.

I agree. "Thousands" is the subject of the sentence, not "play equipment." And in this usage "thousands" is plural. But I'm American, and in American English, it would be "have."

WorriedWife3 · 30/04/2024 14:23

Fromage · 30/04/2024 14:18

I think it's "Thousands of pounds' worth of play equipment has been provided..."

The thing provided is the play equipment (singular) and I think you need an apostrophe after 'pounds' because it's a possessive?

This is correct on both counts.

saraclara · 30/04/2024 14:25

Definitely 'has'. The number of pounds is irrelevant, grammatically. The play equipment is the subject.

MagicKittens · 30/04/2024 14:25

CarolinaInTheMorning · 30/04/2024 14:22

I agree. "Thousands" is the subject of the sentence, not "play equipment." And in this usage "thousands" is plural. But I'm American, and in American English, it would be "have."

Show quote history

Not unless you are looking at thousands of £1 bits and bobs.

It's has, and pounds' worth.

OpusGiemuJavlo · 30/04/2024 15:41

iloveitalia · 30/04/2024 14:14

Sorry- I disagree.
To me the subject of the verb is THOUSANDS of pounds, which is plural, therefore the correct choice is 'have.'
'Has' goes with a singular subject.

It would be correct to say "thousands of pounds HAVE been spent on play equipment" because then the subject of the verb is plural (a large number of pounds). But the OP's sentence was thousands of pounds worth of play equipment - which is singular as there's no way to count whether that's a single item of play equipment worth thousands of pounds, or 12 items worth £500 each, or a million items worth less than 1p each.

upinaballoon · 30/04/2024 19:54

'Thousands of pounds' worth' is an adjectival something or other which describes the 'equipment' and equipment seems to me to be a single entity, so I'm with 'has'.

Certainly thousands of pounds have been provided to buy the equipment.

Musing - equipment can mean lots of stuff/items, but I don't think I've ever met 'equipments'. Susie Dent might know :)

MagicKittens · 01/05/2024 12:06

It's singular, because 'worth' is singular.

moonshinepoursthroughmywindow · 04/05/2024 09:34

I think it's has. It's the equipment that has been provided, not the pounds. Tell them to try piling up pounds in the park and letting people play on them - it won't end well.

ArseholeCatIsABlackAndWhiteCat · 04/05/2024 10:08

It's has. Play equipment has been provided , that's what you get once you remove the "description ".

dragonscannotswim · 04/05/2024 10:13

It should be

Thousands of pounds'-worth of play equipment have been provided

dragonscannotswim · 04/05/2024 10:16

Bloody hell, can't edit on the app. Ignore that. It should be

Thousands of pounds'-worth of play equipment has been provided

Because the 'has' refers to the play equipment.

It might be clearer to turn it round as

Play equipment worth thousands of pounds has been provided...

As that makes it clearer what has been provided.

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