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Два Брата - Сказки Братьев Гримм:
"Ах, - ответил хозяин, - уж сколько рыцарей пыталось это сделать, но все жизнью своей поплатились;"
Is this пыталось matching сколько as a noun?
If so, am I right in thinking that this is no longer standard, the modern equivalent being "сколько рыцарей пытались"
It is quite modern and sound okay.
I think, the neuter form is even more common and stylistically neutral.
I'm not sure about grammar, but if we replace the noun with a pronoun or omit it entirely, the neuter form is only possible:
Сколько их пыталось/было/пришло, not *сколько их пытались/были/пришли
Сколько пыталось/было/пришло, not *сколько пытались/были/пришли
i think that's the correct way of thinking. That seems as the preferred matching, however сколько рыцарей пытались это сделать might also be correct (there might be preferences explained in grammar and style books). The language of fairy tales might imply the use of more impersonal structures, and seems to sound better in this context.Quote:
Originally Posted by xXHoax
There is no difference in modern russian between Сколько рыцарей пытались (рыцарей+пытались) and Сколько рыцарей пыталось (сколько+пыталось).
Also as Сколько человек вошли в комнату?/Сколько человек вошло в комнату? - just no difference.
I would prefer the later. "Сколько человек вошли в комнату" sounds wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arskrigicioniec
No, most of people think that exactly Сколько вошли is right. But I think, if we are no grammar nazi and just Russian speakers, there is really no difference. Even if you write an official document - no difference between these two phrases.Quote:
Originally Posted by Полуношник