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majority

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  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
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First, when you mean “most,” use that term, not majority. Thus, in the following, the writer probably does not mean something above 51%. Instead, the writer means most:

A majority of the increased sales came from our Internet advertising.

Instead:

Most of the increased sales came from our Internet advertising.

Second, some people believe that majority of always takes a singular verb. The word majority is a “collective noun.” Under the American rule, you should use a singular verb when the collective acts as a unit. Thus:

When a majority of Senators votes “yes,” the bill is passed.

But when individual members of the collective noun act independently, you should use the plural:

A majority of courts have followed this rule.

Here, the courts did not act as a unit. Instead, each one, in an individual case, followed the rule.

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