Learn English – They are a subject that ‘is’ or ‘are’

grammarsubject-verb-agreement

Essentially, I wonder that if X is a plural noun, should we use a plural or singular verb in a sentence such as "X are a subject that [verb] …"? I believe that we should always use the singular verb form there (for example, "Eatable flowers are a subject that comes up …"). However, I was surprised to find this sentence on the Eatable Flowers FAQ page:

Eatable flowers are a subject that come up in almost all cooking classes eventually and I am a big fan of them.

as well as this on Google Books:

Tools are a subject that come up at our house from time to time.

I think they are typos, but I would like a double check to be sure.

Best Answer

Well, I found it!

This is from the Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them.

So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

So, in your sentence,

Eatable flowers are a subject that comes up in almost all cooking classes eventually and I am a big fan of them.

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