Only a year and a half remain/remains before we finish university

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Only a year and a half remain/remains before we finish university.

  1. Which is the correct verb?
  2. Is the sentence correct? If not, how should it be phrased?

Thank you!

2 Likes
2

The correct verb is remains. You just need a comma, before ‘before’ and the sentence is correct.

3 Likes
3

Since we take ‘a year and a half’ as the period that remains, we need to use the verb in the singular (remains).

3 Likes
4

Can’t honestly see the need for the comma. And I agree with Lawrence. We are not talking about two separate ‘pieces’ of time to justify the plural verb since we are referring to a period of time that remains.

4 Likes