The work...are all in service of ...

[GoodTaste]

Is "the work...are..." correct? Should it be "the work...is..."? With "all" following "be", "the work...are all in service of..." sounds more natural; yet "the work...are..." looks odd. I am not sure.

from White House COVID-19 Response:

8% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, up 2 percentage points from last week. The work we’re doing to increase supply, increase locations, and increase staff to get shots in arms are all in service of sustaining and boosting this number.

 

[GoesStation]

The subject is "the work", so the verb should be singular. This error is extremely common among native speakers.

 

[jutfrank]

I'd guess this is more likely to be a proofing oversight than an error of incompetence.

 

[GoesStation]

I'd guess this is more likely to be a proofing oversight than an error of incompetence.

I wouldn't. A great many American writers, at least, have largely lost the ability to find the subject. They make the same error in speech. It's ubiquitous.