Which is correct?
Fourteen pennies are worth fourteen cents.
Fourteen pennies is worth fourteen cents.
The former, to me, sounds like "Each of the fourteen pennies is worth fourteen cents." The "is" in the latter, to me, refers to the collection of all pennies as a single unit.
It all depends on if your subject is singular or plural.
In your direct example it would be "fourteen pennies are" because the subject is "pennies" and it is plural.
In your explanation after your examples you would use "is" because the subject has now changed to Eachwhich is singular. "Of the fourteen pennies" becomes a prepositional phrase.
I suggest you stick with "fourteen pennies are worth fourteen cents" because people will recognize it as correct.
But there is something funny here I don't understand. For example "A dozen eggs are worth $4" and "A dozen eggs is worth $4" are both acceptable to me. But "Twelve eggs is worth $4" is not.
Which is correct?
- Fourteen pennies are worth fourteen cents.
- Fourteen pennies is worth fourteen cents.
I say number 2 is correct because in English, expressions of money, time, and distance are considered singular. Examples:
A. Twenty-six billion euros is a lot of money. Five cents is your change.
B. Five minutes is a long time when you're waiting for the bathroom.
C. Forty-two kilometers is equal to 26.2 miles.
That's my short and sweet explanation. If you want a more thorough explanation, see Agreement: Money, Time, and Measurements. The explanation is similar to the old "a couple is/a couple are" question.
