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Thu 3 Jan, 2008 05:21 am
1. To prepare tea, all that is required are semi-fermented tea leaves steeped in a small teapot full of hot water.
To prepare tea, all that is required is semi-fermented tea leaves saturated in a small teapot full of hot water.
Should 'is' or 'are' be used? I think #1 is correct.
Many thanks.
Yes, you are correct:
To prepare tea, all that is required are leaves (of semi-fermented tea) steeped in a small teapot full of hot water.
Rearranging the sentence so that the you see the relationship of that example of the verb "to be" with it's subjects ("leaves are") shows what number agreement is required.
But cannot the semi fermented tea leaves be seen as one ingredient, a singular?
For instance:
To prepare tea, the one thing that is required is semi fermented tea leaves.
Or is that different, since "is" refers to thing rather than tea leaves... ?
I gave the correct answer.
to see it more simply . . .
all / are / leaves
or
all / is / leaves
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