浅谈主语与表语在数上的不一致

中英两国联手推出的中学英语新教材(SEFC)上有这样一些句子:1.Cattle are one cause of this.2.Polluted rivers and lakes have also been a cause of death.3.They are a pop group.4.They are not a healthy diet.5.—The struggling musician,and the struggling artist.—What a pair(you are).上述句子有一共同之处:主语和表语在数的形式上均不一致。初次见到这种语句,我们不免觉得困惑茫然。其实,在英语书面语中,诸如此类的现象随处可见,俯拾即是。