The Insider provided no amusement for the Grammarnator last week, but an article in the Monitor on the future of the New England Patriots certainly did: “Some of the biggest issues facing the Patriots this offseason is whether to re-sign Wes Welker, who to take with their two draft choices in the first round and two in the second and how to build a mediocre defense and an inconsistent running game.”
Clearly, the verb that goes with “some” is “are,” not “is.” What is most strange about the sentence, however, is its closing assertion that the team is looking to create a so-so defense and a spotty rushing attack. I thought the problem was that the Patriots already had those two shortcomings.
Perhaps the AP writer wanted to say “build upon,” but even that wouldn't work since the term implies a solid foundation to begin with.
