Is this a subject-verb disagreement?

Question

This is the commonly used verbatim license (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#VerbatimCopying):

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

Shouldn't the word "is" be there instead of "are"?

I'm pretty sure yes, just asking because this license is used everywhere and it would be surprising if everybody made the same mistake.

'Both running and walking are permitted in the park'. It would not read 'both running and walking is permitted in the park'. — Nigel J, Jan 28 '18 at 19:48
It's easier to see the subject is plural if the sentence is rephrased as, "This entire article's verbatim copying and distribution are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice is preserved." Admittedly it sounds awkward and nobody would say it that way, but grammatically it means exactly the same thing. — Ross Murray, Jan 28 '18 at 20:02
I'd argue that either is possible here, but 'are' focuses on A or B (as well as both) being permitted. — Edwin Ashworth, Jan 28 '18 at 23:32

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

1

Copying and distribution are two different things, so this is a compound subject joined by the conjunctive coordinating conjunction. It is therefore a plural subject, demanding a plural verb.

Look at it this way:

Copying is permitted.

plus

Distribution is permitted.

equals

Copying and distribution are both permitted.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Jan 28 '18 at 19:47

tchrist

134,759

Is this a subject-verb disagreement?

1 Answers1