Which one is grammatically correct?
- One hour and a half is all you have left.
- One hour and a half are all you have left.
- Two hours is all you have left.
- Two hours are all you have left.
And why?
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Is this from a standardized test? – Mitch Oct 17 '13 at 14:21
2 Answers
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The amount of time is a single unit even though it is expressed by describing an aggregated number of units of time. When that amount is the subject of the sentence or clause, it takes a singular verb.
bib
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Two hours is a single unit of time, so would take a singular verb; it refers to the whole time span that lasts 120 minutes. However, if you split the two hours and make them distinct you would need a plural.
Two hours, one today and one next week, are needed to complete the test.
The difference is that the hours are distinct rather than part of a single time span.
Also, the English idiom would be "one and a half hours" rather than "one hour and a half."
RegDwigнt
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Fraser Orr
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1The most common English expression for 1.5 hours is "an hour and a half". See Ngrams. – Peter Shor Jun 11 '14 at 03:33
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But then "two hours are needed to complete the test" should also be singular, right? Why is it "are" here? – Rachit Jul 20 '21 at 14:58