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Cup cake Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Subject verb agreement

Hi Everyone,

I'm wondering about subjects that are uncountable and their agreement with verbs.

For example:

Bill's favourite music is jazz and classical.

Somehow, it doesn't look or sound right to say, 'Bill's favourite music are jazz and classical.

Is it correct to use 'is'? I'm just wanting to confirm and also know how best to explain this.

Thanks,

CC Emotion: smile

  

Top answer

Mass nouns are singular, so it has to be "is", but the sentence perhaps limps slightly because of the clash of number you noticed. But I and most people I know could put it that way or hear it that way and not give it a second thought. It is clear that the two genres taken together define his likings in music.

  • Mass nouns are singular, so it has to be "is", but the sentence perhaps limps slightly because of the clash of number you noticed.
  • But I and most people I know could put it that way or hear it that way and not give it a second thought.
  • It is clear that the two genres taken together define his likings in music.
  • "
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2 Answers
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Mass nouns are singular, so it has to be "is", but the sentence perhaps limps slightly because of the clash of number you noticed. But I and most people I know could put it that way or hear it that way and not give it a second thought. It is clear that the two genres taken together define his likings in music.

To use "are", you would have to say something like "Bill's favourite kinds of

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Cup cakeBill's favourite music is jazz and classical.

'music' is a singular subject, so 'is' is correct.

It does sound wrong, so the solution is to rewrite it, of course.

Bill's favourite kinds of music are jazz and classical.

CJ

Just noticed that I repeated someone else's answer.

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