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For example, which of the following sentences is correct:

Jack, and his partner Jill, offer a new perspective on child-rearing.

Jack, and his partner Jill, offers a new perspective on child-rearing.

Does the addition of the clause "and his partner Jill" change the tense of the verb "to offer"? Should I just leave out the commas for clarity?

user72257
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  • In both cases, the tense of the verb is the same. Its a simple present both times. – oerkelens Apr 16 '14 at 15:18
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    (1) it's not a clause; it's a noun phrase. Clauses have verbs and subjects. (2) tense has nothing to do with it. As @oerkelens points out, both are present tense. (3) conjunction of the noun phrase his partner Jill with the noun phrase Jack forms a conjoined noun phrase Jack and his partner Jill, which is plural (i.e, 1 + 1 = 2). (4) The verb offers, with a final /-z/, is a singular verb form. (5) The verb offer is a plural verb form. (6) The verb form agrees with the subject in number. Got all that? OK. Next time don't use technical terms. – John Lawler Apr 16 '14 at 15:24

1 Answers1

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Jack and Jill are offering a perspective together, so you would use the plural form of the verb. You would say, "Jack and his partner, Jill, offer a new perspective on child-rearing."

Note that the number of nouns doesn't dictate the tense. "Offer" and "offers" are both present tense. The number of nouns dictates the plurality. (See the comments by @oerkelens and @John Lawler for further information.)

Alex A.
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