Is or are - "The most preferable length of the internship is 3 months but 2 is also acceptable" [duplicate]

Question

Could you tell me, what is the correct form?

"The most preferable length of the internship is/ are 3 months but 2 is/are also acceptable"

My intuition tells me that should be 'is' but 'are' seems to be more proper for number 3.

Nicole's answer is true, but you should note that your is/ares relate to length and there is no cause for confusion. — Tushar Raj, Commented May 12, 2015 at 19:16
No, you don't say the most preferable. You say the preferred; it's not the addressee's preference you're discussing, it's your preference. Get that straight right away. As for is/was, the subject is length, which is singular. English auxiliary verbs like be agree with their subjects; "3 months" is the predicate noun phrase, not the subject. The auxiliary be is required for predicate nouns: That man is an impostor; his shoe size is 7, not 9. — John Lawler, Commented May 12, 2015 at 19:26

Nicole · Accepted Answer · 2015-05-12 18:34:02Z

3

When numbers are used to talk about time, cost, or distance they are singular because the whole thing is taken as one concept:

answered May 12, 2015 at 18:34

Nicole

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4-K · Accepted Answer · 2015-05-12 18:40:25Z

0

"The most preferable length of the internship is three months, but two is also acceptable"

Generally, we should spell the numbers from 0-9. And I think a comma should come before the conjunction "but."

answered May 12, 2015 at 18:40

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