GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 772486
Incorrect grammar in OS updates detailed description
Last modified: 2017-10-23 17:07:33 UTC
Please ignore this if I'm wrong but I think this grammar is incorrect: +------------+------------------------------------------------------------+ | OS Updates | Includes performance, stability and security improvements. | Shouldn't it read "Include performance, stability and security improvements" instead? This issue has been already mentioned in bug 767634 comment 1 and in https://launchpad.net/bugs/1592001. See the incorrect text location: https://git.gnome.org/browse/gnome-software/tree/src/gs-plugin-loader.c#n1226 I think the change is too trivial to provide a patch here.
I don't think we should change this. I see where you're coming from, since you must say "OS updates include..." whereas "OS updates includes" would be clearly incorrect subject-verb agreement. But in this context, the description applies to one particular, singular set of OS updates. It's iffy, but I think it would sound worse to a native speaker if we remove the 's' here. An alternative that would sound better than "include" would be "including", but I kinda prefer the current text best.
I am by no means an expert at the English language and I don't know if the author of the comment at https://launchpad.net/bugs/1592001 is. If you both say that it's correct in this context then it is. Maybe a translators comment would be helpful saying that "is available" or "contains" or "has been installed" applies to "OS Updates" and although it's correct to use singular here in English the translators may prefer plural form if it's more appropriate in their languages.
The current string reads fine in English. "OS Updates" is plural, but it is a single item in the UI - hence treating it in the singular.