shanks2020 wrote:
shanks2020 wrote:
"Translating and adapting texts for different audiences composes key of this theory."
In the above sentence, how is the singular verb correct?
Do more than one gerund action always take a singular verb?
Hi
GMATNinja AndrewN VeritasKarishmaYour inputs needed please!!!
Hello,
shanks2020. The sentence appears to be missing an article, such as
the, before
key. What is the source, if you do not mind my asking? I often talk about this troublesome habit of GMAT™ aspirants in wanting to turn single examples into ironclad rules: that
always is incorrect. Consider how, in the sentence you quoted, the two gerunds are being used to outline actions pertaining to the same thing,
texts. This sort of construct allows for a singular subject, as in the following example:
Building up speed and jumping over hurdles is a day-to-day activity for certain Olympic athletes.What does the sentence mean to convey? That running and jumping
is a part of everyday training for, say, Olympic hurdlists, that
building up speed carries with it an understood
[to jump over hurdles] . But I could just as easily use two gerunds in a sentence to form a compound subject:
Running around the neighborhood and hiking in the mountains are two of my favorite hobbies.Notice that the sentence names two completely different activities, one involving neighborhoods and the other mountains. We would not use
is to agree with such a subject.
In the end, you have to rely on the context of the sentence to guide you to an accurate interpretation. That is the best way I can think to outline how to tackle such a subject-verb agreement issue.
Thank you for thinking to ask me about this. I hope my response proves helpful.
- Andrew