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My favorite animal are dogs.

Is this acceptable?

I believe this is ok because I see "animal" as one species and "dogs" as the variety of breeds.

Of course, the best answer would be "my favorite animal is the dog" but that's not the point.

Could someone give me a clear, technical answer as to whether or not this is acceptable (grammar)?

Thanks

herisson
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Phil
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    The verb agrees with its subject, not its complement. Dogs are your favorite animal, but your favorite animal is a dog. – tchrist Nov 21 '14 at 05:42
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    My favorite animal is the dog.* My favorite animals are dogs and cats (the dog and the cat).* The reference in this sentence is to the kind of animal, not an individual. – Kris Nov 21 '14 at 05:47
  • The variety of breeds is not relevant to the context, the kind of animal alone is enough. – Kris Nov 21 '14 at 05:50
  • you might be interested in ELL, our sister site, which is a good site for basic English questions. – anongoodnurse Nov 21 '14 at 05:58
  • This is a valid question that deserves an answer. – Rusty Tuba Nov 21 '14 at 06:01
  • In fact, beware that the sentence actually means, whatever is your favorite animal, each one of them is a despicable create (or a very faithful friend). – Kris Nov 21 '14 at 06:07

1 Answers1

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It ain't acceptable. ;)

"My favourite animal" is the subject of the sentence and singular. The verb needs to agree with the subject in number. So it has to be "is" rather than "are": 'My favourite animal is the dog' forces the complement also agree.

Joe Murray
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