The grammatical subject of a sentence is the basis as to whether you use is or are. We need to determine whether the subject is singular or plural in the sentence to determine the suitable verb is vs are. Singular subjects will require “is” as a verb while plural or a collective noun will require “are”. A quick flashback to help you find your way:
The subject is a grammatical term used to describe the nouns, pronouns, and noun phrases that occur before the verb in a sentence. Thus, the subject describes a position in the sentence. When the verb is in the active form, the subject of the sentence is the “do-er” or agent—who or what—that causes the action.
As base verb forms of “be,” is/are primarily use the “be” as the main verb that stands independently and as an auxiliary verb that makes the present continuous verb tense. In English we use is if the subject is “he, she, it.” And if the subject is “we, they, you” we use are. In the second case, am has the same function as are but we only use it when “I” is the subject.
Examples of the use of is:
- He is John.
- He has a cold
Is data plural or singular?
Strictly speaking, data is a plural term. That means, if you’re following the rules of grammar, you shouldn’t write “the data is” or “the data shows” but instead “the data are” or “the data show”.
Are versus our
Our and are may sound similar but they have completely different meanings and usage in grammar.
As a possessive pronoun, our generally means “belonging to us.” Below are a few examples of how it’s used:
- The preacher told us to open our Bibles.
- Is that our taxi or your taxi?
As a form of an irregular verb, are in contrast means “to be.” It is in the present tense and can be used with the pronoun you. Are can also be used in plural verb sentences or with pronouns indicating a number/multiple of things. E.g:
- We are driving to work.
- How are they doing?
Is all singular or plural?
All is generally used both in singular and plural subjects. For example;
- That is all.
- All of the houses are white.
All can be used as an adverb, adjective, or pronoun in writing. It can also be used in sentences that include singular nouns or plural nouns. Whether all is used in a sentence with a singular or a plural subject is contextual.
- All is well. (used in a singular construction as a pronoun)
All can be used as a pronoun in place of saying:
- Things are well.
All may also be used as an adjective to indicate something that simply isn’t present:
- All things are well.
As verb form all has nothing to do with a singular or plural subject in the sentence below.
- All hail Caesar! -This means all (of you should / must) hail Caesar!
Uses of is
Below are a few instances that may require using is instead of are.
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
These are pronouns ending in –body or –one. For instance, everyone may seem plural, you use is when in a sentence. For example;
- Is everyone ready to go?
Either/Or and Neither/Nor
Depending on their use, either and neither are pronouns or adjectives. Either or neither take the form of adjectives if placed in front of a singular noun.
- Either house is a good choice.
- Neither game is my favorite.
Either/or and neither/nor are singular pronouns. For example:
- Either Peter or Jane is driving me to school.
- Neither Monday nor Tuesday is a good day to schedule the office meeting.
One exception to this rule is seen below.
- Either my father or my brothers is coming to my fashion show. (Because brothers is plural, is sounds incorrect).
You can however switch the word order or change the helping verb as below.
- Either my brothers or my father is coming to my fashion show.
- Either my father or my brothers are coming to my fashion show.
Non-Countable Nouns
Non-countable nouns and abstract nouns have no specified numbers and do not use indefinite articles like a/an. Below are a few examples:
- Milk is leaking from the bottle on the table.
- Sleep is very important for a baby’s growth.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns like family or team may represent more than one person, making them seem plural but almost always use is in a sentence. The exception comes when discussing individual members of the collective thus making the noun plural. For example:
- The team is aiming to beat last year’s record. (Team is singular.)
- The members of the team are aiming to beat last year’s record. (Members is plural.)
When to use is vs are
Considering both is and are have a similar origin, it can prove tricky to know when to use either particularly when writing more complex sentences. Is/are denote different forms of the term “to be” and be can be used to define a state, identity, quality, or a form of existence. In simpler terms:
- Is denotes the third-person singular present tense of “to be”.
- Are denotes the first, the second, and the third-person plural present tense of “to be”.
Examples of correct use of is and are
Here are a few examples of using both is and are correctly:
With singular entities –
- The baby is walking
With plural entities –
- The babies are walking
Are there or is there?
To correctly get there is vs there are, you need to keep the following tips in mind:
- Identify whether the noun is plural or singular.
- Determine the form in which you are writing.
- First person: utilize ‘are’ for plural subjects
- Second person: use ‘are’ for both singular and plural subjects
- Third person: use ‘is’ for singular and ‘are’ for plural subjects
Are there any potential weak areas in your writing, such as knowing when to use “is” and “are”? If that is the case, you can receive essay feedback through https://nocramming.com/.
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