Help deciding if plural should be used in this sentence

Question

Can anyone help me with which of the following is the correct formulation?

The main driver for this is changes in the weather.

The main driver for this are changes in the weather.

Should it be "is" because "driver" is singular, or should it be "are" because "changes in the weather" is plural? How then do we decide which to use in these cases?

Thank you!

Does this answer your question? "What he is looking for are books" or "...is books"? Although "What I love the most is animals" sounds perfectly okay to me. But so does "Animals are what I love the most." looks a closer match. — Edwin Ashworth, Jul 28 '20 at 14:49

score 0 · Accepted Answer · 2020-07-28T14:59:08.103

0

Edit: I recommend that you read THIS article to learn more about this topic.

"Is" is correct.

The conjugation of a verb is decided by its subject. The subject is "the main driver," which is singular; therefore, "is" is correct.

edited Jul 28 '20 at 14:59

answered Jul 28 '20 at 08:54

Help deciding if plural should be used in this sentence

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