What [is/are] 2 and 3? (2024)

For example, 2 *3 = 6, 6 is called product, what [is/are] 2 and 3 called?

Am I suppose to use "are" in the above sentence? Since I am talking about two numbers.

I am confused because I think sometimes the form of "be" depends on the word behind it, but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your help.

Michael Swans's Practical English Usage has a section on this

21. spoken calculations
2 + 2 = 4 Two and two is/are four (informal)

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So I guess both your examples are correct.

"For example, 2 *3 = 6, 6 is called product, what are 2 and 3 called?" I'd have to use the plural, as this is not an operation in arithmetic.

"2 + 2 = 4 Two and two is/are four (informal)" - I think this is a special case. When adding, we can say "Two and two is/are four".

emma.learns said:

For example, 2 *3 = 6, 6 is called product, what [is/are] 2 and 3 called?

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What are 2 and 3 called? 2 and 3 are called numbers.

What is 2 plus 2 called? 2 plus 2 is a sum.

What is 2 and 3? 2 and 3 is 5.

Using and to mean plus is confusing, but some people do it. But they always use these words:

"two and three is five"
"what is two and three?"

My profession involved mathematics so I can confirm post #4

How do you add a thumbs up to a previous post?

dojibear said:

Using and to mean plus is confusing, but some people do it. But they always use these words:

"two and three is five"
"what is two and three?"

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"2 + 2 = 4 Two and two is/are four (informal)" As the quote from Practical English Usage indicates, in BE we may (informally) use either singular or plural there -- though not in the OP question: "what [is/are] 2 and 3 called?"

Just a small point. The question in this thread was about the grammar of the question

emma.learns said:

what [is/are] 2 and 3 called?

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The answer to the question asked in the OP is "are".

It is not "factor", "multiplier" or "multiplicand".

I think the answer depends on how you read emma's question.

If you read it as

(a) In the calculation 2*3 = 6, what is/are "2" and "3" called?​

the correct choice is are.

If you read it as

(b) If the calculation 2*3 is called a product, what is/are the calculation "2 + 3" called?​

the correct choice is is.

I have the feeling emma was asking about (b): is that right, emma?

I believe emma.learns meant the question to be read as (a) (answered in post 4, among others).

The reason why 'are' is correct is that the subject of the sentence 'What are 2 and 3 called?' is the expression '2 and 3' and that is plural, not singular.
The expression '2 and 3' is plural because it consists of more than one term.

wandle said:

(answered in post 4, among others)

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Indeed it was. I wasn't ignoring your earlier post, but I did wonder why you (and others) then went off into a debate about something completely unrelated.

Loob said:

I think the answer depends on how you read emma's question.

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I've read it as it is stated in the header:

What [is/are] 2 and 3?

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Hence my mistake. Sorry for that.