Christmas Eve

[bugshaw]

It's Christmas Eve, and here am I checking my spam while doing laundry at the hotel ;-(

Nah, we've had a very busy few days so it's quite nice to have an evening off.

We are currently at Wairakei, being astonished by the geology. There is lots of past and present volcanic and geothermal activity, with bubbling springs and steaming hot rivers and fumaroles belching sulphurous gases. This is a place where you can fart in a hot tub and no one notices! Bit worried by the film at the Volcanic Activity centre, which said the last big eruption in this area was on a Chrstmas Eve... Wah!

Question of the day. Which of these is correct:
i) A herd of cows on its annual migration
ii) A herd of cows on their annual migration
?

This is a lovely place.

Comments

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

Is it "Neither, cows don't migrate"?

[maureenkspeller.livejournal.com]

What about transhumance? Though I suppose they might not migrate of their own volition ... but then again, is 'migration' the same as 'gee, we've used up all the grass here and need to find some elsewhere?' I can't believe I'm worrying about this on Christmas Eve.

[timill]

Mmmmm... volcanoes.

Either is correct: in the first you're talking about the herd; in the second about the cows. So it depends what emphasis you want.

Of course cows migrate - I learned that in Geography class some 40 years ago.

Perhaps it's only old cows that migrate?

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

I am *soooooo* jealous - my current life's ambition is to visit NZ, but lord knows when, or even if, I'll make it.

[red-cloud.livejournal.com]

It's the herd (singular) that's doing the migrating. "Of cows" is a qualifier for herd, i.e. if you leave out "of cows" the sentence becomes "a herd on their annual migration" which is clearly wrong. So technically "its" is correct.

But you knew this, you tease!

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Hmm. You might just be correct in grammatically precise terms :-) ... but 'a herd on their annual migration' isn't too displeasing to the ear, as we know that 'herd' is a collective noun ... I think.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Both: the herd migrates annually, and so do the cows. By an astonishing coincidence, they always do this at the same time, so when the herd is on its annual migration, the cows in the herd are on their annual migration.

A busful of tourists is making a three-point turn.
A busful of tourists are drinking themselves into a stupor.

In these two sentences, the tourists would not each be making their own individual three point turns, nor would the bus be knocking back the booze. But for the herd and the cows, no problem either way.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Oh! Merry Kiwi Kwistmas to you both.