Nouns and Noun Phrases - University of Macau Library

Numerals and quantifiers 881
refers to coin that was in use when the guilder was still the monetary unit in the
Netherlands; it seems that there are still no well-established names for the coins that
are currently in use, apart, of course, from euro and cent.
(31) a. Dit boek kost twee tientjes/*tientje.
this book costs two tenners/tenner
b. Deze pen kost twee knaken/ ?? knaak.
this pen costs two quarters/quarter
The fact that the noun in (31a) is obligatorily plural is probably related to the fact
that we are dealing with a noun derived from a numeral by means of a diminutive
suffix, given that the examples in (32) show that the diminutive counterparts of the
nouns in (30) also require the plural ending. Still, this cannot be the whole story
given that the noun knaak in (31b) is not a diminutive form.
(32) a. Dit boek kost twintig eurootjes/*eurootje.
this book costs twenty euros/euro
b. Deze pen kost vijftig centjes/*centje.
this pen costs fifty cents/cent
The plural forms of euro and cent can also be used provided that they refer to
the actual coins. So whereas the noun phrase twintig euro in (33a) refers to a
collection of banknotes and/or coins that make up a total amount of twenty euros,
the noun phrase twintig euro’s in (33b) refers to a set of one euro coins with the
cardinality 20. The primed examples show that, again in these cases, it is the
number on the noun, and not the cardinal numeral, that determines subject-verb
agreement. This is illustrated in the primed examples.
(33) a. Jan heeft nog twintig euro in zijn portemonnee.
Jan has still twenty euro in his wallet
a′. Er ligt/*liggen twintig euro op tafel.
there lies/lie twenty euro on the.table
b. Jan heeft nog twintig euro’s in zijn portemonnee.
Jan has still twenty euros in his wallet
b′. Er liggen/*ligt twintig euro’s op tafel.
there lie/lies twenty euros on the.table
III. Other cases
In addition to the cases discussed above there are some more isolated cases in which
the noun following the cardinal numeral is singular. Some examples are given in
(34). Observe that (34b) shows that in this case the number on the noun also
determines subject-verb agreement.
(34) a. Ik heb dat boek drie keer/ ? keren gelezen.
I have that book three time/times read
‘I have read that book three times.’
b. Vier man is genoeg om die tafel op te tillen.
four man is enough in.order.to that table prt. to lift
‘Four persons suffice to lift that table.’