Grammar - verb

[chanbr]

Hi,

Can I use "is" for the following sentence?

Roughly 8-man hours is required for cleaning.

 

[SoothingDave]

No, use "are." Hours are.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,

Can I use "is" for the following sentence?

Roughly 8-man hours is required for cleaning.

Hours would be followed by the plural "are". Also, your hyphen is in the wrong place. They are not "8-man hours", they are "eight man-hours". I'm not sure if everyone still uses "man-hours". In these politically correct times, I have heard "person-hours" used to denote that a job is not specific to one gender.

 

[SoothingDave]

Hours would be followed by the plural "are". Also, your hyphen is in the wrong place. They are not "8-man hours", they are "eight man-hours". I'm not sure if everyone still uses "man-hours". In these politically correct times, I have heard "person-hours" used to denote that a job is not specific to one gender.

We still have "manhours" in my experience. Though "man machine interfaces" are now "human machine interfaces."

 

[chanbr]

Thank you very much. Learned something today.

 

[Barb_D]

I say "labor hours" in my business writing.

However, I'm okay with the singular verb.

Eight hours is a quanitity, the same way "One hundred dollars is not too much to pay" is a quantity or "three miles is a little far to walk" or "three hours is a little too far for a day trip."

I'd accept either one.

 

[5jj]

I'm okay with the singular verb.

Eight hours is a quanitity, the same way "One hundred dollars is not too much to pay" is a quantity or "three miles is a little far to walk" or "three hours is a little too far for a day trip."

I agree. For me, 'are' is fine.