Singular or plural: "The best things about Limerick are the people"
I read that sentence and I'd like to ask you two questions:

1.- Is it in plural because “people” are plural?

2.- Could I also say “The best thing about Limerick is the people?”

Thank you for your answers.

Question

Singular or plural: "The best things about Limerick are the people"
I read that sentence and I'd like to ask you two questions:

1.- Is it in plural because “people” are plural?

2.- Could I also say “The best thing about Limerick is the people?”

Thank you for your answers.

Answer

To answer the first question, the subject in the sentence is 'the best things about Limerick' (best being an adjective), and 'things' is plural, which is why the verb conjugates in plural. It's not 'people' because that's the predictive nominative of the sentence.

And as for the second, yes! You've now used the singular 'thing', and the verb corresponds.

The second sentence is actually better because 'the best' implies that there is no better other thing, and so that there is only one best thing.

Answer

"The best thing about Limerick is the people"

Answer

singular, as the subject is "thing" so the predicate is "is"

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