رجاء من السادة الافاضل الرد على سؤالي

[Mr Mostafa Goda]

المشاركة الأصلية كتبت بواسطة عبد السلام محمود عبد السل

في الصفحة 7 من كتاب الطالب تمرين 3 b
Ten minutes have passed. Let's wait five more.

رغم انها مدة زمنية تعامل معاملة المفرد الا ان دليل المعلم اعتبر الجملة صحيحة فما السبب؟؟

I would definitely use a singular in "Ten days/weeks/months/years is a long time to wait."

If "ten minutes"" really means "a period of ten minutes" then I'm happy with a singular: "After ten minutes has passed ".

But if you want to emphasise the cycle of time, then "have" sounds better.
Ten minutes have passed - .

look my dear

"Ten minutes"" can be either singular or plural, depending on what is meant:

"After ten minutes has passed you can meet him." [a ten-year period]
"After ten minutes have passed you can meet him"."

"Ten years" as a plural seems a longer time (tenminutes passing, one by one) than "ten minutes" as a singular (a ten-minuter period).

To me "arduous" draws out the time, and makes "ten minutes" less workable as a singular:

"A short ten minutes has brought us to this point."
"An arduous ten years have passed."

"Ten minutes" by itself would not need an article since it has a number, but when modified (by "short" or "arduous"), it does need the "an". "An" in such a construction does not make it singular:

"A mere ten people were present for the ceremony."

I hope it is clear now my dear

Best Regards