Grammar help

Posted by Barney on August 29, 2002

In Reply to: Grammar help posted by R. Berg on August 29, 2002

: : The only thing we overlook ARE wide open spaces.

: : The only thing we overlook IS wide open spaces.

: : Paging R. Berg. Which is correct? The grammar mavens are divided on this question. The sentence is for a proposed customer service ad with a visual pun -- a scenic overlook.

: IS is correct. The noun that governs is "thing," the subject of the sentence.

: So they call themselves mavens, do they? Without having read Fowler?

Given that we are on the grammar track a similar question was posed to me:

The yolk of an egg is white
The yolk of an egg are white

The answer seemed clear to me at the time but now I'm not so sure.

• Grammar help ESC 08/29/02
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        • Here are the news? ESC 08/30/02
          • Rewriting a slogan R. Berg 08/30/02