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Allthewayanime Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Is or are

While reading an article about the Arab soap opera I came across this sentence:

e.g. What really hooks viewers are the rollicking storylines.(shouldn't be 'is' instead of 'are'?)
  

Top answer

Hi, What really hooks viewers are the rollicking storylines . The rollicking storylines are what really hooks viewers. This writing style is becoming acceptable since storylines represents a plural word.

— Regards

  • Hi, What really hooks viewers are the rollicking storylines .
  • The rollicking storylines are what really hooks viewers.
  • This writing style is becoming acceptable since storylines represents a plural word.
  • Nonetheless, I'd stick with the normal phrase: What really hooks viewers is the rollicking storylines.
  • Regards
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2 Answers
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Hi,

What really hooks viewers are the rollicking storylines.

The rollicking storylines are what really hooks viewers.

This writing style is becoming acceptable since storylines represents a plural word.

Nonetheless, I'd stick with the normal phrase:

What really hooks viewers is the rollicking storylines.
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What really hooks viewers are the rollicking storylines.(shouldn't be 'is' instead of 'are'?)

I would certainly use 'is'. "What really hooks viewers" is the subject. "Storylines" is not really the subject. Sometimes when these "what" clauses are subjects, 'are' may sound better to the writerif a plural follows, so they write 'are' even if it should b
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