"The only thing holding me back is the available colours."
or
"The only thing holding me back are the available colours."
It seems to me like a glitch either way. I slightly favour the second one though.
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2I believe the second should be "The only things ..." Does that sound better?– coleOct 24, 2015 at 17:58
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2There's only one thing holding you back -- the collective availability of colors. The verb needs to be singular.– deadratOct 24, 2015 at 18:00
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Why would you favor the second one, please? Any reason why? I am curious.– user140086Oct 24, 2015 at 18:01
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Assuming you get subject/verb agreement, the choice is your call. Using "is" means you're regarding the colors as an indivisible group, while "are" suggests you're considering them individually.– Hot LicksOct 24, 2015 at 18:45
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This is basic grammar, and far too trivial for this site. You might try English Language Learners. It is also a duplicate of english.stackexchange.com/q/17766 english.stackexchange.com/q/60888 english.stackexchange.com/q/165168 english.stackexchange.com/q/23685 english.stackexchange.com/q/167271 english.stackexchange.com/q/26402– tchrist ♦Oct 24, 2015 at 19:37
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2 Answers
The rule is simple. The verb agrees with the subject of the sentence.
The only thing...is... [correct]
The only thing...are... [incorrect]
answered Oct 24, 2015 at 18:03
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That's a fair comment. If you know of a duplicate it helps if you indicate it. Oct 24, 2015 at 19:26
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It isn't personal: I would say the same to anyone who did this. Please don't answer duplicates, or trivial proofreading questions that show no research. english.stackexchange.com/q/17766 english.stackexchange.com/q/60888 english.stackexchange.com/q/165168 english.stackexchange.com/q/23685 english.stackexchange.com/q/167271 english.stackexchange.com/q/26402– tchrist ♦Oct 24, 2015 at 19:37
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1The personal part was the name-calling. If you are the age you appear to be from your bio, you should have grown out of that by now. I see that has been deleted now. Oct 24, 2015 at 22:43
You can say 'The only thing is' or 'The only things are', but you can not say 'the only thing are'
