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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Grammar and punctuation is/are important? Which one?
I'm a native english speaker. I don't know which of the following is correct:
1. Grammar and punctuation is important
2. Grammar and punctuation are important
What is this called? Is it something like verb agreement with list of singular nouns? I want to find the posh name of this grammatical problem so I can look it up. I don't know whether the verb has to agree with the singular noun, or whether both nouns constitute a plural clause and therefore the verb must take the plural form 'are'
Any tips? Thanks
1. Grammar and punctuation is important
2. Grammar and punctuation are important
What is this called? Is it something like verb agreement with list of singular nouns? I want to find the posh name of this grammatical problem so I can look it up. I don't know whether the verb has to agree with the singular noun, or whether both nouns constitute a plural clause and therefore the verb must take the plural form 'are'
Any tips? Thanks
Top answer
It should be "Grammar and punctuation are important". The subject, "grammar and punctuation", is plural. Some pairs or lists of things can be treated as describing a single thing, so they take a singular verb.
- It should be "Grammar and punctuation are important".
- The subject, "grammar and punctuation", is plural.
- Some pairs or lists of things can be treated as describing a single thing, so they take a singular verb.
- For example: "The horse and cart was the primary means of transport".
- Sometimes the decision is subjective, but your example does not, in my opinion, qualify.
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2 Answers
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It should be "Grammar and punctuation are important". The subject, "grammar and punctuation", is plural.
Some pairs or lists of things can be treated as describing a single thing, so they take a singular verb. For example: "The horse and cart was the primary means of transport". Sometimes the decision is subjective, but your example does not, in my opinion, qualify.
Some pairs or lists of things can be treated as describing a single thing, so they take a singular verb. For example: "The horse and cart was the primary means of transport". Sometimes the decision is subjective, but your example does not, in my opinion, qualify.
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Perhaps "verb agreement with a compound subject" would be what you're looking for?
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