Learn English – Which way: One and one ARE two? One and one IS two

mathematicssubject-verb-agreementword-choice

Which verb is grammatically correct when used to describe addition?

  • One and one are two.
  • One and one is two.

Best Answer

It would be grammatically correct to use "are" if the subjects were indeed "two" individually, but they are not.

By saying "One and one are two," that means that each "one" is two. The equivalent would be, "One is two, and one is two."

Saying "One and one is two" groups "one and one" to be the subject of the sentence. And "one and one" is two. ;)

In your post, you said "which question is grammatically correct?" You would ask, "Is one and one two?" Although, that can be confusing without something to separate the "one" and the "two" at the end. The preferred method would be "Does one plus one equal two?"