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Starget1 Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

10 Minutes Is OR 10 minutes are?

Hi all,

I came across this sentence:

10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay.

Can someone tell me which one is correct? Thanks!
  

Top answer

10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No . 10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay.

— Buddhaheart

  • 10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay.
  • No .
  • 10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay.
  • Yes.
  • Since the plural noun ( minutes ) denotes a specific quantity ( 10 ) considered as a whole, a singular verb ( is ) is generally used.
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9 Answers
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10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes.

Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific quantity (10) considered as a whole, a singular verb (is) is generally used.
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Buddhaheart
10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes.

Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific quantity (10) considered as a whole, a singular verb (
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Starget1
Buddhaheart
10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes.

Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific quantity (10) considered as
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Yoong Liat
Starget1
Buddhaheart
10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes.

Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific qu
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Alright, so, whether to use singular or plural verb, it will depend on the sentence and its emphasis? If so, how if I cannot determine the emphasis if I do come across such situation in future?

Any advice for me if I do come across usage of time (such as hours/minutes/seconds) in the future?

Could you give me an example of a sentence where you cannot determine what
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>10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes.
which is a reduction from:
10 minutes is too short a time for me to finish that essay
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10 is a plural number, therefore you should use ARE. if you want to say 1 minute, then IS because 1 is singular.
MinuteS is there only to show that those 10 were minutes and not potatoes.
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I don't know why you thought you should answer a question with an incorrect answer when the correct answer was given six years ago.

When time, distances, dollars, etc. are considered as a complete quantity, we use the singular form of the verb.
When you think of each moment, each meter, each cent as an individual thing, you can use the plural from.

Please - let us not have
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