Q: In the following sentence, what is the correct verb with the noun "relationships": "Relationships was/were the top reason for winning this new contract." I agree that, on the face of it, "relationships" takes a plural verb, but to me, "were" does not feel right when the phrase "top reason" follows. — Earl Flowers, West Hartford, Conn.

A: Your concern about what linking verb to use when a plural subject ("relationships") clashes with a singular predicate nominative ("reason") is understandable.

Both constructions — "relationships was the top reason" and "relationships were the top reason" — sound funny. (The contrast is especially jarring here because the superlative adjective "top" emphasizes the singularity of "reason.")

The same problem occurs in reverse when a singular subject clashes with a plural predicate nominative: "The top reason for winning this new contract was relationships."

But grammatical authorities agree that the noun before the verb dictates the choice of a linking verb. So it should be "relationships were the top reason" and "the top reason ... was relationships."

To avoid clashing nouns and predicate nominatives, you can sometimes try rephrasing the sentence, e.g., "The establishment of relationships was the top reason for winning this new contract."

Q: NPR recently referred to the "two-month anniversary" of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Doesn't the word "anniversary" refer to a yearly observance, making a reference to months incorrect? — Paul Mirin, via email

A: Here's a classic case of common usage trumping traditional meaning. It's indeed true that "anniversary," which is derived from the Latin "annus" (year), originally meant the annual recurrence of a date marking a notable event.

But English doesn't have a word meaning the recurrence of a date on a more frequent basis, i.e., semiannually, monthly, weekly. "You could say, "two-month milestone," but as usage expert Bryan Garner points out, "'Milestone' doesn't connote observance and recurrence the way 'anniversary' does."

In my view, it's time to give up the fight to preserve the "annual" meaning of "anniversary." The word has now assumed the broader meaning of "any date that follows a notable event by a specified period of time," a definition now included in many dictionaries.

But can we agree to draw the line at days? The "three-day anniversary" of his retirement? Please, no.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254