I'm writing a term paper for history, and I wondering which is correct:
The 1920s was a period of...
The 1920s were a period of...
The first one sounds correct to me, but I want to be sure that the subject and verb agreed.
According to all the information I have (and looked for) it should be:
The 1920s were a period of...
However, the rest of the sentence may change that.
Can you send me the rest of it?
The 1920s was a period of discrimination, hostility, and intolerance towards minority groups in America.
When you're not sure, it's safer to change the wording. For instance -- you could say --
The decade of the 1920s was a period of . . .
My instinct is to consider the 1920s as singular since you're talking about one unit of time.
The 20's WAS a period. Period is singular so then the verb has to be singular. Period and 20's are one thing.
Both forms are commonly used, but the more grammatically correct version is "The 1920s were a period of..." This is because "1920s" refers to a plural noun (referring to multiple years), thus requiring a plural verb form ("were") to agree with it.
However, when referring to time periods, particularly decades like the 1920s, there is some flexibility in verb agreement. It is acceptable to treat the decade as a single unit and use a singular verb form ("The 1920s was a period of...") especially when the focus is more on the collective entity and not on individual years within the decade.
In your specific sentence, "The 1920s were a period of discrimination, hostility, and intolerance towards minority groups in America," both versions can be used, but the more common and recommended form would be "The 1920s were a period of..."
Remember that there can be different opinions on this matter, and it ultimately depends on personal style and preference.