رجاء من السادة الافاضل الرد على سؤالي
 

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؟؟

هو معتبر الجملة صحيحة في كتاب دليل المعلم

The focus in this sentence is on the number (of minutes) not on the duration (of ten minutes).

شكرا استاذ عصام. بس مالدليل في الجملة انه يركز على العدد وليس المدة؟؟؟

My answer is only based on deduction.

The TG says only one sentence is correct. So, from that group of three sentences in b "Hurry! There's not many time left." is the only wrong sentence. I also rule out that the TG is wrong in this answer.

Maybe it`s because he mentioned the number FIVE separately later in the sentence. Or maybe because the minutes pass one by one.

Honeslty I couldn`t find a resource that supports my answer except that amounts, quantities, durations of time, weights, distances, etc. take singular verbs (but not numbers in the plural).

Plus it would be very difficult for the students to differentiate between them.

Let`s encourage other teachers` opinions to settle it.

Best Regards

thanks a lot my dear colleague. I find it difficult to persuade the students to understand the difference in the meaning.

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 - .



"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."

الجملة لا غبار عليها...و اعتقد انه لابد ان تعتمد علي احساسنا بالجملة مثلا

Ten minutes has passed. Let's wait five more.

احساسي بالجملة هنا اننا نقصد 10 دقائق مرة واحدة جملة واحدة كتلة واحدة و هكذا

اما
Ten minutes have passed. Let's wait five more.

تعطيك احساس انك بتعد الوقت...متضايق مستكتر الوقت و هكذا

Thank you all for your participations

thanks a lot my dear colleague but i think the teacher's guide should have given an explanation for this sentences

Mr Essam you're always great and I always learn from you discussions.

thaaaanks alot

Thank you Mr.Hamada but if you look back on this page you`ll find out that we are learning from each other. May Allah increase our knowledge and teach us what benefits us. AMEN