What the meaning, purpose, and value of education are/is?

Question

Hello,it's confusing. Which is correct are or is?StartFragment&gt;what the meaning, purpose, and value of education are/is? Each noun is separate thing, and they are not together, and so "is" is correct?Thanks a lot

Avangi · Accepted Answer

It's confusing because of the question order.

In a statement, it would be clear that you have a compound subject, calling for a plural verb:
The meaning, purpose, and value of education are unknown to her.

The correct question order would be:
What are the meaning, purpose, and value of education?

<< Each noun is separate thing, and they are not together >>

They're together because you're applying the same verb to each.

What colors are the sky, the clouds, and the trees?

Your height, weight, and age are required on this application.

What are your height, weight and age? (not: What your height, weight, and age are?)

In an indirect question, yes: She asked me what my height, weight, and age were. (not was)

Zazzex · Answer

Thanks for a good answers.

I have a follow up question.

"What colors are the sky, the clouds, and the trees?"

In this the sky is blue, the cloud is white and the tree is brown and green.

So as for the sky and the cloud?

Shoudn't you say

"what color (singular not plural like colors) is the sky and the cloud, and what colors is the tree?"

Your answers are very heplful, thanks

Avangi · Answer

Sometimes it helps to convert a question to a declarative sentence, as you try to figure out the tense of the verb.

Ask yourself what the subject of the clause is. Are there more than one? Is the subject singular or plural?

The tree is what color(s). The subject is "tree" (singular), not "colors" (plural); so it takes a singular verb, is.

What colors are in the tree? I know this is tricky. The tree is no longer the subject of the clause. "Tree" is object of the preposition, "in." In this case, "colors" (plural) is the subject of the clause, so we need the plural verb.
You can ask, "What colors are in the tree?" but you can't ask, "What colors are the tree?"
The "in" makes all the difference.

What color are the grass and the leaves?
The grass and the leaves are what color? (They're both green. Only one color.)
The subject of the sentence is "the grass and the leaves." There are two subjects so the "subject" is plural, calling for a plural verb.
You cannot say, "What color is the grass and the leaves?" I know it sounds right, but in my opinion it's wrong. "Color" is not the subject of the sentence, in this case!

If you're not sure what the subject of the sentence/clause is, you can't possibly be sure of whether the verb should singular or plural.

There is this thing where you're allowed to call two things a single unit, IF that's the way you think of it.
(The house and garage are/is white.) What color are/is the house and garage?
I don't like it.

What the meaning, purpose, and value of education are/is?

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