are his work

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "are his work" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "is his work"? If this is the case, you can use it when referring to a singular piece of work that belongs to someone. Example: "This painting is his work, showcasing his unique style and creativity."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

Yes, all of those kickass gesture computing scenes are his work.

TechCrunch

Identified as among Mansfield's most important contributions are his work on the importance of academic research for industrial innovations, his empirical estimation of the rates of diffusion of different innovations, and his estimation of the private and social returns from investments in industrial innovations.

Research Policy

Particularly well represented in the extant corpus are his work on optics and medicine, especially the compounding of drugs (for optics see Rashed 1997; for medicine see Gauthier 1939, Klein-Franke 1975, Celentano 1979; for these aspects of al-Kindi's thought generally see Adamson 2007, ch.7).7

SEP

Paying taxes was the patriotic thing to do in the 40s, and besides, Bill's passions are his work and Margo Channing, not making money.

Huffington Post

In a movie about an artist, they are his work, manifested without any mediation, but because they are accompanied by cinematic images that they didn't have on the printed page (much like music is accompanied by new imagery in music videos), new metaphors and connections are made.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Why are his works referred to extensively and often?

The New York Times

It is his work.

The New York Times - Magazine

And how innovative is his work?

The New York Times - Arts

What was his work product there?

The New York Times

"This was his work.

The New York Times

That was his work".

The Guardian - Film

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure subject-verb agreement. When referring to a singular piece of work, use "is" instead of "are". Use "are" only when referring to multiple works, such as "These projects are his work".

Common error

Avoid using "are" with singular nouns like "work". The correct form is "is his work" when referring to a single, identifiable piece of work. Also be sure to clarify what "his work" refers to in the previous sentence if it's ambiguous to the reader.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "are his work" functions as a predicate nominative, attempting to equate a subject with a descriptive noun phrase. However, it exhibits incorrect subject-verb agreement, as noted by Ludwig, making it grammatically flawed when 'work' is intended to be singular.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "are his work" is generally grammatically incorrect due to a subject-verb agreement issue. As confirmed by Ludwig, the correct form is "is his work" when referring to a singular piece of work. While examples of the incorrect phrase exist, they are infrequent and don't legitimize its use. It's best to use alternatives like "is his creation" or ensure proper agreement. Remember that the frequency of its usage is rare and, as such, should be avoided in favor of a correct substitute.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

is his work

Corrects the verb conjugation to match a singular subject (work).

is his creation

Replaces 'work' with 'creation' to emphasize the act of creating something.

is his doing

Uses 'doing' to focus on the action or process he performed.

is his accomplishment

Highlights the successful completion of a task or project.

is his handiwork

Emphasizes the skill and effort he put into the work.

is his responsibility

Shifts the focus to the accountability he holds for the work.

represents his efforts

Highlights that the work is the result of his efforts.

originates from him

Focuses on the origin and authorship of the work.

he is responsible for this work

More formal, emphasizes responsibility explicitly.

this work belongs to him

Emphasizes ownership of the work.

FAQs

How can I correct the phrase "are his work"?

The grammatically correct way to phrase this is "is his work". Use "is" with singular nouns. Example: This painting "is his work".

What's a more formal way to say "are his work"?

While "are his work" is grammatically incorrect, a more formal alternative to "is his work" is "This work belongs to him" or "He is responsible for this work".

What can I say instead of "is his work"?

You can use alternatives like "is his creation", "is his doing", or "is his accomplishment" depending on the specific context.

When is it correct to use "are" instead of "is" with "work"?

Use "are" when referring to multiple works. For example, "These projects are his work" or "The sculptures and paintings are his works".