[Grammar] Number

[Jijo]

Tell me if this is correct

He as well as I is right.

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, Jijo. :hi:

Unfortunately, your sentence is meaningless. Could you try again, please?

 

[Barb_D]

I think the meaning is "He is right. I am also right." He, as well as I, is right.

We are taught that when you have an "as well as" phrase, you make the verb agree with the main subject. In this case, it's "he" so you're right using "is."

However, the ear rebels at hearing "I is" next to each other, so my best advice is to ignore the fact that you are grammatically in the clear and restate it: He and I are both right. He and I -- we are both right.

(I dont know why "I are" doesn't sound as grating as "I is" but it doesn't.)

 

[5jj]

Thanks for deciphering that, Barb. I do not worry too much about the finer points of punctuation, but on this occasion I had no idea what the original sentence meant.

 

[Barb_D]

I'm with you.


I'm curious, though. Do you find the "I is" to sound really awful, but find "I are" to not sound as awful, even knowing the verb relates to a prior subect?

 

[CarloSsS]

Would something like this be possible?

He is -- as well as I am -- right.

 

[5jj]

Do you find the "I is" to sound really awful, but find "I are" to not sound as awful, even knowing the verb relates to a prior subect?

'He and I are right' doesn't grate at all with me, perhaps because it's a natural thing to say. I don't think it's the 'I is' that grates in 'He, as well as I, is right; the whole thing sounds unatural to me. Even when there is no problem with verb agreement, as in 'You, as well as we, are coming', it sounds unnatural to me.

 

[Barb_D]

Would something like this be possible?

He is -- as well as I am -- right.

No, that doesn't work.

He is -- as am I -- right. -- That's possible, but not natural.
He is right, as am I. --That's better to my ear.

 

[bhaisahab]

It would be much more natural (IMO) to avoid that construction and use "He and I are (both) right".

 

[SoothingDave]

I'm with you.


I'm curious, though. Do you find the "I is" to sound really awful, but find "I are" to not sound as awful, even knowing the verb relates to a prior subect?

I agree with you. "I is" grates.

 

[Rover_KE]

Are you still there, Jijo (the threadstarter)?

Have we understood you correctly and answered your question to your satisfaction?

Rover