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Keneldeer Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Child(ren) is / Child(ren) are

I'm a curriculum developer and write training materials for an agency that works on behalf of children. I often use "child(ren)" when the context could refer to one child or more than one child.

Which is correct: "The child(ren) is.." or "The child(ren) are..."? I can't find any grammar rule anywhere that relates to that issue.
  

Top answer

'children' is the plural of 'child' so: The children are .... The/A child is ....

— MichalS

  • 'children' is the plural of 'child' so: The children are ....
  • The/A child is ....
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7 Answers
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'children' is the plural of 'child' so:

The children are ....
The/A child is ....
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keneldeerWhich is correct: "The child(ren) is.." or "The child(ren) are..."? I can't find any grammar rule anywhere that relates to that issue.
I haven't seen this before but it strikes me as a perfectly good extension of the much more common "parentheses s" as in father(s), mother(s), etc.
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MichalS, that doesn't really answer the question. There are times when I could write "The child/children is/are..." but that is too awkward. Instead, I could write "The child(ren) is/are..." but that too seems awkward. Would it be proper to say "The child(ren) is..." or "The child(ren) are..." to avoid using the slash?
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The child(ren) are. child(ren) is read as child or children - a singular subject connected to a plural subject. This means you should use a plural verb.
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Child is singular. Children is plural. Therefore, use singular verb for first (is) and plural verb (are) for second.

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The child(ren) is(are)...

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are.

You are technically saying "the child or children..." therefore are would be most appropriate.

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