1) what books are on the desk is/are not my concern.
How to make this sentence grammatically correct?
2007-05-02 10:04:49 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Is. The subject of the sentence is ONE question, therefore singular; and therefore you should use "is" for the verb.
2007-05-02 10:08:44 · answer #1 · answered by Navigator 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"The books that are on the desk are not my concern."
In 1) the writer means "Whatever books there are..." The word "that" in my rephrasing means that there may be other books in other places, but the books that are on the desk are not my concern. This clause, set off by "that," is a dependent clause.
Another meaning altogether comes if we say, "The books, which are on the desk, are not my concern." This means that there are only those books in all the world and, by the way, they are on the desk. This, set off by which and a comma, is an independent clause.
2007-05-02 17:15:43 · answer #2 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What books are on the desk is not my concern.
2007-05-02 17:09:13 · answer #3 · answered by thesims707 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
are because u are talking about more than one book. i should know- i have to sit through this everyday :(
2007-05-02 17:12:59 · answer #4 · answered by cottoncandy55 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋