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I'm struggling with the use of the word result/results in a sentence:

a gentle introduction coupled with the style of its presentation results in a lovely experience.

a gentle introduction coupled with the style of its presentation result in a lovely experience.

I thought because there are two elements combining to a "result" the second option would be correct. But I'm second guessing myself now. Can someone help please?

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  • Possible duplicate of Singular or plural verb form where subject includes a "parenthetical" element. Here, I think you've got to go with the notional paraphrase 'The combined effect of a gently written introduction and a corresponding style of delivery is to produce a lovely experience.'
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 11:27
  • Yes and here, there's far too much detail. To analyse a passage like that, smash it up, which is to say, drop the extraneous matter. Isn't "an introduction and its presentation result(s) in (whatever)" easier? Either way when (anything) and (anything) combine do they make a single, or more? Apples and pears do make fruit; chalk and cheese make a pair or pile of things…
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Feb 20, 2018 at 1:15

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I got this from University of Surrey - Problem Cases.

The authors claim:

Distributives and collectives are sometimes listed as additional values along the same dimension as singulars and plurals, but the evidence suggests that they should not be considered additional values comparable with the basic number values, nor subdivisions of these. Rather, they are different categories, like associatives (Corbett 2000:111-120).

Looking up associatives at Merriam-Webster gives:

of, having, or being the property of combining to the same mathematical result regardless of the grouping of an expression's elements given that the order of those elements is preserved addition is associative since (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)

Which implies that both 'result' and 'results' work.

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Constructions such as

  • x with y
  • x in addition to y
  • x as well as y
  • x joined to/with y
  • x coupled to/with y
  • x along with y

may seem to fulfill the semantic function of a coordinating conjunction, but not the grammatical function, as the preposition or participle subordinates the second element to the first and thus does not affect grammatical number.

In other words, if there is no and there, the verb agrees with the first element only.

John, as well as the rest of the committee, doesn't find the project worth supporting.

John and the rest of the committee don't find the project worth supporting.

Its smart design features coupled to a quite reasonable price make this model a real bargain.

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The sentence "a gentle introduction coupled with the style of its presentation results in a lovely experience." would be correct. If you said, "a gentle introduction coupled with the style of its presentation WOULD result in a lovely experience." would make the use of the word "result" with no "s" correct.

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