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Consider:

  • Please check that the username and password is correct.
  • Please check that the username and password are correct.

If I had to break the statement into its parts:

  • Please check that the username is correct.
  • Please check that the password is correct.

I feel that username and password can be seen as a single noun and therefore the correct form is is. Based on this answer, I'm confused: the number of the verb is determined by the number of the verb's subject. Is username the subject or object?

Can someone please advise?

This question was marked as a duplicate but the duplicate tagged isn't quite related. Rather, based on @user2370114 response, this question is a better match. Furthermore, it doesn't address my concern about the subject vs object distinction (as answered by @RegDwigнt♦).

To summarize:

  • If you are speaking of multiple things, and even if both were singular, the copula (verb of being) would still be plural.
  • Both username and password are the subject. Interestingly, in my use here, are felt more natural :)

So can I rather ask: is there ever a time when items can be seen as a single subject and therefore take the singular form of the verb?

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Pooven
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    The conjunction is not part of the question. The question would be identical without "Please check that". – SrJoven Aug 04 '14 at 14:06
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    Lenin is correct. Lenin and Stalin are correct. And yes, when Lenin is correct, or when X is correct, or when X is Y, then X is the subject. – RegDwigнt Aug 04 '14 at 14:08
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    @user2370114 The conjunction being talked about here is 'and'; 'that' is often labelled a complementiser nowadays. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 04 '14 at 19:31
  • @user2370114 has a good point. If I ignore the use of that, then I had a list of two items: 'The username and password are correct'. Then this answer indicates that are is the correct form: http://english.stackexchange.com/a/15770/87168 – Pooven Aug 05 '14 at 10:55
  • @RegDwigнt I was rather confused when I first read your comment but I see you were giving examples. Thank you for answering my question about the subject :) – Pooven Aug 05 '14 at 10:57

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