Ten + ten = twenty
I would like to know if this: (10 + 10 = 20) can be said in several ways:
Ten and ten are twenty
Ten plus ten are twenty
Thank you.
6 Answers
Hi Nila! 
Ten plus ten are twenty
This sentence is incorrect. It should be "Ten plus ten is twenty."
Ten and ten are twenty
The same change should be made here: "are" should be changed to "is". I know that the number is plural, however it is a single sum or amount, so "is" would be the proper verb.
Below are the correct ways (and the common ways) of expressing addition.
Ten and ten are twenty.
Ten and ten make twenty.
Ten and ten equal twenty.
Ten and ten add up to twenty.
Ten and ten are equal to twenty. (not as common)
.
Ten plus ten is twenty.
Ten plus ten equals twenty.
Ten plus ten is equal to twenty.
Ten plus ten adds up to twenty.
And is a conjunction and so the subject of the first sentence is Ten and ten. Thus, it is a plural subject and requires a plural verb (are, make, equal, etc.).
Plus is a preposition and, therefore, has no effect on the subject. So, the subject of the second sentence is only the first Ten and, thus, a singular verb is required (is, equals, makes, is equal, etc.).
However, when using "and" for addition, it is very common for native English speakers to use a singular verb. However, to do so would still technically be an error.
Look at the first entry for the definition of plus, and compare it with the second entry for and.
Abajos son las maneras correctas (y más comunes) para expresar suma en inglés:
Ten and ten are twenty.
Ten and ten make twenty.
Ten and ten equal twenty.
Ten and ten add up to twenty.
Ten and ten are equal to twenty. (no tan común)
.
Ten plus ten is twenty.
Ten plus ten equals twenty.
Ten plus ten is equal to twenty.
Ten plus ten adds up to twenty.
And es conjunción, y, pues, el sujeto de la primera frase es Ten and ten. Por eso, el sujeto es plural y requiere verbo plural (are, make, equal, etc.).
Plus es preposición y, pues, no afecta el sujeto. Por tanto, el sujeto en la segunda frase es solo la primera Ten y, entonces, se requiere un verbo singular (is, equals, makes, is equal, etc.).
Pero, cuando usan "and" para suma, es muy común que los anglohablantes usen un verbo singular. Pero, hacerlo así aún sea técnicamente error.
Mira la primera entrada de plus, y compárala con la segunda entrada de and.
Those are the most common ways to say 10 + 10 = 20 but I guess you could say....
10 added to 10 is 20. Just a thought to get the ball rolling. Have a great day!! Gobble, Gobble!! Happy Turkey-Day.
Also there is "ten and ten equal(s) twenty". I'm not sure of the "s" on equal there so maybe it will spark some debate. I just know I've heard and said it both ways.
Then I suppose I could say:
How much is ten and ten?
I would usually say, "ten plus ten equals twenty" or "ten plus ten is twenty".
