Question

Four miles _____ not a long distance (is/are)

Answer 1

I would use "is" in all cases. The implied communication of each is similar to this:

(The distance of) thirty miles is a long distance.

You are speaking about a distance

which is singular.

Answer 2

The answer is 'is.'

Four miles is not a long distance.

Subject-verb Agreement

• Subject-verb agreement refers to the rules which guide us in the correct placement of verbs based on the subject of the sentence.

• If the distance is mentioned in the sentence, we write a singular verb. Distance is considered to be a single entity and thus takes a singular verb.

• 'Is' is the singular verb. Thus, it is the answer.