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July 2001

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Subject:
Re: Help with verbal as subject
From:
Sophie Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 31 Jul 2001 10:27:02 +1000
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It seems to me that the subject of this sentence is "Learning and assimilating new information". This noun-phrase subject is singular in the way that a single-noun/pronoun subject is singular.  The entire phrase is inter-changeable with `It'. Agreement requires the singular copula `is'. 
Sophie 
----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carolyn Kinslow 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 11:23 PM
  Subject: Help with verbal as subject


  We have a disagreement about subject/verb agreement, and I would like the expert opinions of the members of this list.  The sentence generating the disagreement reads, 
    
          "Learning and assimilating new information is always easier when the information is presented in a familiar pattern." 
  One camp claims the singular verb,  is, is correct; the other camp maintains that the verb should be plural. How can I explain this construction? 

  Carolyn 
    
    
    
    
    
    

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