[Grammar] TO BE with Plural subject and Singular object

[Creamcake]

Hi everyone !

I have a sentence: "Speaking and writing about common things are what I can do. But academic speaking and writing (to be) a different story."

I know that I should put ARE into the blank because of the S-V agreement in grammar books. But doesn't it sound awkward to you ? Because, to me, it does. I think "IS a different story" is more ok to me, but clearly that it will break the rule.

Please enlighten me on this matter. Is there only subject-verb agreement, or is there something else ? (like verb-object or subject-object agreement, logic ?)

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

The whole thing is a mess. It doesn't make any sense. The second half (starting with "But") is totally ungrammatical. What are "common things"? What do you mean by "are what I can do"?

 

[Tdol]

If you think of academic writing and speaking as a single unit, then the singular works fine.

There is the idea of proximity- we often choose the verb based on what it is next to rather than mathematical accuracy because it sounds better:
There's a dog and a cat fighting outside. (There are a dog... sounds odd to many speakers, so they use the singular even though there are two animals)

 

[Creamcake]

The whole thing is a mess. It doesn't make any sense. The second half (starting with "But") is totally ungrammatical. What are "common things"? What do you mean by "are what I can do"?

I thought that "about common things" is to modify the two subjects, which are "speaking and writing". That is why I used "are". But if you find it odd or ungrammatical, I think I will change to "Common speaking and writing are...". Maybe that will help

 

[Creamcake]

If you think of academic writing and speaking as a single unit, then the singular works fine.

There is the idea of proximity- we often choose the verb based on what it is next to rather than mathematical accuracy because it sounds better:
There's a dog and a cat fighting outside. (There are a dog... sounds odd to many speakers, so they use the singular even though there are two animals)

So, it depend on what I think of them. That means if I think of them as a single unit, I use the singular. But if I think of them as serveral ones, I should use the plural, right ?


Thank you

 

[Tdol]

As long as there are reasons for thinking this way, yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

S​o what are "common speaking and writing"?

 

[Raymott]

You can solve "Speaking and writing about common things are/is what I can do" by saying "What I can do is speak and write about common things. But academic speaking and writing are beyond me."