whereabouts are/whereabouts is
Despite the deceptive S on the end of the word, “whereabouts” is normally singular, not plural. “The whereabouts of the stolen diamond is unknown.” Only if you were simultaneously referring to two or more persons having separate whereabouts would the word be plural, and you are quite unlikely to want to do so.
_____________
FINAL DAY: Still don't have the third edition of Common Errors in English Usage? Get it today for $15—the coupon code FIFTEEN is set to expire January 1, 2014.
This is blatantly incorrect. "Whereabouts" is plurale tantum because it refers places one might be "about". For example, it is clearly "his whereabouts are unknown", and not "his whereabouts is unknown".
ReplyDeleteGood discussion of the matter here:
Deletehttp://english.stackexchange.com/questions/5991/does-whereabouts-function-as-a-singular-or-plural-noun