[Grammar] ( they are an essential tool ) does it sound right?

[mohhuss74]

Hello,

Is there any grammatical mistakes in this sentence " If radar guns are checked regularly, they are an essential tool in helping keep our roads safe."?

( they are an essential tool ) does it sound right?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

"Essential tool" is fine, but it could also be "essential tools". "In holding keep" is not fine. That should be "in keeping".

 

[Matthew Wai]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

Is there any grammatical mistakes in this sentence

As 'mistakes' is plural, so I think 'Are' should be used instead of 'Is'.

Not a teacher.

 

[mohhuss74]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

Is it OK we say ..... they are (an) ?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

No. For a question, it should be "Are there any".

 

[Rover_KE]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

mohhuss, Matthew Wai is not your brother.

Please note that a better title would have been They are an essential tool.

Extract from the Posting Guidelines:

'Thread titles should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.'

 

[tzfujimino]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

No. For a question, it should be "Are there any".

Your brother (the OP) seems to be asking about the 'they are an essential tool...' part in the original post.

 

[mohhuss74]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

Guys, let me be more clear, using ( a / an ) with what it seems plural but in fact it is singular, like ( one item ), grammatically wrong or not?
I have this sentence from a high school English book and it published in The UK, my teacher said it is wrong. What do you think?

 

[Barb_D]

Re: Could you please help me with this?

Sentences like this can feel "weird" no matter how you write them.
The basic rule is that the verb agrees with the subject, even if the subject is plural and collectively can be thought of as singular.

One thing I love about the Virgin Islands is the beaches.
The beaches are the one thing I love the most.
The beaches are an asset to the islands.