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Stenka25 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Singular vs. plural verb

In the sentence below, the subject of underlined "is" is "more than a single task." When I read this sentence, it seems to me "are" can be ok because the subject means 'more than a single task,' ie, several tasks.

Under this assumption, I checked on Google Books.
But there was none of "more than a single task are."

Can you give me your idea?

Another application of these cards is for "interrupts" for "spooling" — a form of time sharing where more than a single task is done on the computer.
  

Top answer

The verb 'is' in this clause relates to the subject of 'a single task' and therefore must match it in number. 'Are' is incorrect. 'More than' is additional information, however, 'is' relates to 'a single task'.

— Kosmo

  • The verb 'is' in this clause relates to the subject of 'a single task' and therefore must match it in number.
  • 'Are' is incorrect.
  • 'More than' is additional information, however, 'is' relates to 'a single task'.
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3 Answers
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The verb 'is' in this clause relates to the subject of 'a single task' and therefore must match it in number. 'Are' is incorrect. 'More than' is additional information, however, 'is' relates to 'a single task'.
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Stenka25there was none of "more than a single task are."
That is not surprising. Whenever you see "more than one ..." or "more than a single ..." as the subject, use a singular verb. These kinds of expressions are always singular.

More than one was seen yesterday. (Not 'were'.)
More than a single glass of wine was drunk that night. (Not 'were'
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Thanks a lot, Kosmos.
Thanks as always for your comprehensive and informative answer, CalifJim.
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