10 Minutes Is OR 10 minutes are?

Hi all,

I came across this sentence:

10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay.

10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay.

Can someone tell me which one is correct? Thanks!

Buddhaheart wrote:

10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No. 10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes. Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific quantity (10) considered as a whole, a singular verb (is) is generally used.

Hi Buddhaheart,  thanks!

How do I know when the plural noun (minutes) is considered as a whole?

Under which circumstances that I consider minutes as plural? Can you give me some examples? Thanks.

Yoong Liat wrote:

Starget1 wrote:  Buddhaheart wrote: 10 minutes are too short for me to finish that essay. No. 10 minutes is too short for me to finish that essay. Yes. Since the plural noun (minutes) denotes a specific quantity (10) considered as a whole, a singular verb (is) is generally used. Hi Buddhaheart,  thanks! How do I know when the plural noun (minutes) is considered as a whole? Under which circumstances that I consider minutes as plural? Can you give me some examples? Thanks. 'Ten minutes' is a period. So 10 minutes (the time to finish the essay) is too short for me to finish that essay. But 'Ten minutes (here the emphasis is on 'minutes') have passed."

Alright, so, whether to use singular or plural verb, it will depend on the sentence and its emphasis? If so, how if I cannot determine the emphasis if I do come across such situation in future?

Any advice for me if I do come across usage of time (such as hours/minutes/seconds) in the future?

Thanks Yoong Liat.