are or is

[jaria007]

First and foremost, we want to assure you that your safety – and the safety of all of those in your household and dependents that you care for – are/is? our first priority.

I know the whole sentence could be written better, but my boss just wants to know if he should use are or is. Please advise. Thanks!

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

Hmm, technically it should be "are" because the writer (your boss?) has separated "your safety" from "the safety of all those in your household" and, for good measure, "the safety of your dependants". That's three instances of "safety" which should lead to a plural verb. However, "are" sounds terrible to me. Also, can three separate things all be "first priority"? I would say not.

I'd use "is" and rewrite it. Can it really not be rewritten? At the very least, the writer should spell "dependants" correctly.

dependent = adjective
dependant = noun

 

[jutfrank]

I'd use is. It makes more sense to me that there's one safety—that of everyone mentioned.

 

[jaria007]

Ha! Thank you for the feedback. It cannot be rewritten because he already sent it. We were just going back and forth on are vs is after-the-fact. Thanks again!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'd use is. It makes more sense to me that there's one safety—that of everyone mentioned.

I would, too. The dashes make the added business parenthetical and not part of the core sentence. So because of the dashes, safety is singular.

 

[jaria007]

I will gladly admit to being so petty that having you agree with me will certainly help me sleep soundly tonight. Haha!

 

[emsr2d2]

Had it been worded "the safety of you, your household and your dependants", I would have automatically said "is" because it would have sounded more like a collective safety. It was the addition of the dashes, effectively separating those safeties from each other, that made them sound like separate ideas/concepts.

 

[jutfrank]

I will gladly admit to being so petty that having you agree with me will certainly help me sleep soundly tonight. Haha!

So did you persuade your boss to use is, then?

(You should probably wait until Monday to demand a pay raise.)

 

[jutfrank]

It was the addition of the dashes, effectively separating those safeties from each other, that made them sound like separate ideas/concepts.

I agree with Charlie Bernstein's view that the parenthetical nature of the dashes supports the singular focus.