Breakdown of Смертность тоже сокращалась, причём большинство людей жили очень долго.
тоже
also
очень
very
жить
to live
люди
people
долго
for a long time
большинство
majority
причём
moreover
сокращаться
to decrease (in size, volume, or quantity)
смертность
death rate
Questions & Answers about Смертность тоже сокращалась, причём большинство людей жили очень долго.
Why is the verb жили in the plural when the grammatical subject большинство is neuter singular?
With collective nouns like большинство (majority) followed by an animate noun in the genitive plural (like людей), the verb usually takes the plural form. This happens because the sentence focuses on the individual people performing the action, rather than the abstract collective group.
Would it be incorrect to use the neuter singular verb жило here?
It wouldn't be strictly incorrect, but it would sound overly formal or statistical. Using the neuter singular жило treats the group as a single, faceless mass. Because this sentence describes actual people living their lives, the plural жили is much more natural and preferred.
How does причём change the meaning compared to just using и?
Причём translates closely to "moreover" or "and what's more." While и just links two facts, причём introduces an amplifying or surprising detail that builds on the first clause. It emphasizes that not only was the death rate falling, but people were also living very long lives.
How can I tell that смертность is feminine and requires the feminine verb сокращалась?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ость are almost always feminine abstract nouns. Because смертность is feminine singular, the past tense reflexive verb must take the feminine ending -ась rather than the masculine -ся or neuter -лось.
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