...the rest is/are

[DoWell]

Choose the best answers:

The first two problems are difficult, but the rest (is/are) easy.

In this choice, which one is the best? I decide to answer 'are', but I am not sure the difference between 'the rest is...' and 'the rest are...' Will you please give me an account of them with examples?

Thank you in advance.

[Marius Hancu]

As the meaning is:

The first two problems are difficult, but the rest of them are easy.

there's only one choice, based on the proximity of verb to them, especially as you need to solve each problem individually.

You don't solve them all at once, collectively. This is a collection of individualities, and the plural should be applied.

A search at the New York Times, which has some standards, is also clear:

204 from nytimes.com for "the rest of them are"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22the+rest+of+them+are%22+&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

2 from nytimes.com for "the rest of them is"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Anytimes.com+%22the+rest+of+them+is%22&btnG=Search

but this is not easy matter, the result at Google Books being much closer.

[OddThomas]

Marius's advice is correct for countable nouns. If the quantity being divided is not countable, then rest should take the singular form of the verb.

For example, consider miles and minutes (non-countable distance and time):
The first two miles of the hike is uphill, but the rest is level.
The first two minutes of the movie doesn't make sense, but the rest is quite good.Some grammarians would write are uphill and don't make sense in the sentences above. But I believe to do so wrongly contradicts the grammar of the second parts of the sentences.

[amYankee]

Choose the best answers:

The first two problems are difficult, but the rest (is/are) easy.

In this choice, which one is the best? I decide to answer 'are', but I am not sure the difference between 'the rest is...' and 'the rest are...' Will you please give me an account of them with examples?

Thank you in advance.For better or for worse, it seems to me that the choice of "is" or "are" might also simply depend on how the speaker is looking at the sentence (i.e the unspoken words in the speaker's mind):

- The first two problems (in this assignment) are difficult, but the rest (of the problems) are easy.

- The first two problems (in this assignment) are difficult, but the rest (of the assignment) is easy.

Just a thought. :)