MetaChat - How many verbs can you think of that ONLY work with plural subjects?

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23 March 2009

How many verbs can you think of that ONLY work with plural subjects? Subjects like "we" or "they" (or "you" plural). I can only think of two. They're inside with a spoiler warning, 'cuz this is obviously such a fun game and you'll all want to play ;-) →[More:]
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"Swarm" and "Flock" are my two answers. You'd pretty much have to have borderline personality disorder (w/ multiple personalities) to say, "I swarmed over to the beach yesterday."

post by: shane at: 19:48 | 16 comments

congregate
gather
assemble (as in "we assembled adjacent to the ice cream parlour")

posted by mdonley 23 March | 19:58

cluster

posted by lysdexic 23 March | 20:06

The swarm swarmed. The flock flocked. The congregation congregated. I gathered rosebuds. I assembled Tinkertoys. I clustered discrete items together.

I've got to be missing something here.

posted by box 23 March | 20:18

Well, the first three all have implicitly plural subjects, although they're grammatically singular. The rest use the verbs in a different sense than mdonley and lysdexic intended, I gather (heh).

posted by Rhaomi 23 March | 20:23

The swarm swarmed.

lol.

Okay, so "swarm" (noun) is technically singular, as in "the swarm IS big."

Maybe I should have said "Verbs that can't be conjugated with 'I' but instead need 'we', 'they', or 'you' (plural) or a noun such as 'flock' that is composed of multiple participants' " ?

posted by shane 23 March | 20:27

teem

posted by lysdexic 23 March | 20:53

we be jammin'

posted by eekacat 23 March | 20:58

I am jammin'

posted by eekacat 23 March | 20:59

He swarmed up the pole. 'Swarm' is the descriptive verb for that type of climbing.

She flocked the pillow with down. 'Flock' is the descriptive verb for stuffing fluff into a cloth container meant to be sewn shut.

"Cold congregates all bodies." - Coleridge; where the subject draws together a crowd.

posted by Ardiril 23 March | 21:52

outnumber
gang up (on)

posted by Atom Eyes 24 March | 10:20

"Purchasing outnumbers leasing in the auto industry."
I think you have me on 'gang up'.

posted by Ardiril 24 March | 11:03

When I was fourteen, I ganged up--in my neighborhood, you didn't have much choice.

posted by box 24 March | 11:07

Is flash-mob a verb?

posted by Melismata 24 March | 11:25

Is flash-mob a verb?

No, it's teem-work.

posted by lysdexic 24 March | 11:41

box: Do you mean "ganged up" as in "lawyered up"?

"My mind teems with possibilities."

posted by Ardiril 24 March | 12:26

Nope, I was thinking 'ganged up' as in 'joined a gang,' but I dunno if anyone actually uses it that way.

posted by box 28 March | 22:25

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