[Grammar] the Health Services Group Commendation are testaments to these facts

[exarmydude]

please advise which is correct in the following statement:
You are well respected by leadership, colleagues, and coworkers at a national, regional and local level and will be greatly missed by all. Your recognition with the Surg Gen’s coin and the Health Services Group Commendation are testaments to these facts.
should it read 'are testaments' or 'is testament' ?

 

[emsr2d2]

Please advise which is correct in the following statement:

You are well respected by leadership, colleagues, and coworkers at a national, regional and local level and will be greatly missed by all. Your recognition with the Surg Gen’s coin and the Health Services Group Commendation are [STRIKE]testaments[/STRIKE] testament to these facts.

Should it read 'are testaments' or 'is testament'?

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

Please note my corrections above. You must start every sentence with a capital letter. Don't leave a space before a question mark.

The set phrase is "testament to" or "a testament to". As far as I know, it's never used in the plural and, confusingly, it's often (as shown above) used in the singular but with "are".

Please tell us the source and author of the quote. You must do this in post #1 whenever you quote someone else's words. If you write a sentence yourself, you must tell us that too.

 

[jutfrank]

Your recognition ... is testament to these facts.

(I'm not sure why emsr2d2 and 5jj would think are is right there.)

 

[emsr2d2]

Your recognition ... is testament to these facts.

(I'm not sure why emsr2d2 and 5jj would think are is right there.)

I took it as "Your recognition with the Surg Gen's coin and your recognition with the Health Services Group commendation" so I went for the plural.

 

[Tdol]

What does coin mean there? Medal?

 

[jutfrank]

I took it as "Your recognition with the Surg Gen's coin and your recognition with the Health Services Group commendation" so I went for the plural.

I suspected that was so. I come down quite firmly on the singular side here. I wonder which way other members go.

 

[Tdol]

You are well respected

How about just respected?