I am wondering if it would be better to write in the sentence below, "what matters most is" or "what matter most are," since what follows are two clauses. Or should "what" stand as the singular subject of the sentence?
"What matter most are her right to tell her own story and the willingness to accept that we cannot always understand everything."
Best Answer
When you say "what matters most" you're either talking about a single thing: the thing that comes top of the "mattering" charts, if you like, or a group of things which are all at the "top of the mattering charts".
Therefore, use the singular form, ie "What matters most is
<a single thing>" or the plural "What matters most are<a group of things>""What matter most" should never be used, although you could say "The things that matter most are ..."