I want to write:
One cake is good, but 4 {is,are} better!
Which one ("are" or "is") should I use?
Looking at examples online it seems that both are acceptable.
So here are my questions:
- Which one is grammatically correct (one? both?)
- Which one is most used?
Best Answer
The answer depends on the exact wording.
If you say exactly what you wrote, "One cake is good but four is/are better", then the correct answer is "are". There's an implied "cakes" after "four", "four CAKES are better". "Four cakes" is clearly plural, so you should use the plural verb.
But now make a subtle change in wording that doesn't change the meaning at all. "Eating one cake is good, but four is/are better." Now the correct answer is "is". Because again we've elided words, the full meaning is "Eating one cake is good, but eating four cakes is better." Now the subject of the second clause is not "four cakes" but "eating", and "eating is singular. The same would be true if instead of "eating" you said "having" or "buying" or "baking", etc.