Doubt while writing

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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > Doubt while writing

Doubt while writing

carinita

Doubt while writing

-a key feature of this play is dreams

-a key feature of this play are dreams

Which is correct?

21 Jan 2011

tech_teacher

feature - singular - there (is) is correct

21 Jan 2011

carinita

21 Jan 2011

suhakhader

I agree with tech-teacher.

The subject is singular, so the verb: (is) is correct.

21 Jan 2011

ldthemagicman

Dear Carinita,

1. яПНA key feature of this play is dreamsяПН.

2. яПНA key feature of this play are dreamsяПН.

My first inclination was to say that:

1. яПНA key feature of this play is dreamsяПН, is the correct sentence, because яПНA featureяПН is singular, so it takes яПНisяПН.

But then I reversed the sentences and had:

1. яПНDreams is a key feature of this playяПН.

2. яПНDreams are a key feature of this playяПН.

It seemed that 2,

яПНDreams are a key feature of this playяПН, was correct.

Then I re-wrote sentence 1,

яПНDreams is a key feature of this playяПН.

яПНDreaming is a key feature of this playяПН.

яПНTo dream is a key feature of this playяПН.

яПНHallucinating is a key feature of this playяПН.

яПНImagining visions whilst you are asleep is a key feature of this playяПН.

I convinced myself! In my opinion, the correct sentence is:

1. "A key feature of this play is dreams".

I agree with Tech Teacher and Suha!

LES

21 Jan 2011

suhakhader

Here we have LD the magic man! No problem at all!!

Thank you Les!

21 Jan 2011

carinita

Perhaps if I copy and paste an extract of my writing, you get a better idea of what I яПНm trying to say. I яПНm talking about A Midsummer Night яПНs Dream by Shakespeare

Thanks for replying

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(...)

"Yet a key feature of this play is dreams. Certainly, when action moves into the woods in Act II Scene I, we find Oberon explaining to Puck which is the provenience of the magic flower juice:..."

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Because I use the linker YET to start the paragraph I think the most convenient order of the elements in the sentence is "A key feature of this play is dreams"

21 Jan 2011