Plural subjects take plural verbs, right? Well…
Most of the time your subject and verb should agree. He lives in a cabin. An exception occurs with nouns that refer to time, distance, or measurements of money. Those plural subjects are treated as a single unit.
Two days is plenty of time to get to Phoenix.
Lying in the safe was the missing two hundred dollars.
Three cups of flour is all you need for the bread recipe.
Fifty cents isn’t enough for a soda.
Three yards of fabric seems a lot for a mini-skirt.
Who would believe in 1960 that three earth orbits was possible?
If the emphasis is on individual items, though, use the plural verb:
The hours before dinner seemed to drag for the dieters.
The raffle tickets were dropped into the bucket one at a time.
Remember to consider the sense of your subject. Are you using it in the singular sense or the plural?
Happy new year and happy writing!
Tags: noun-verb agreement, quantity
