【KING OF POP】It has already pa

It has already passed 10 years，是不能这么用的。要么说10 years have already passed ，要么说 It has already been 10 years since you left
Crystal eyes这首歌还是挺好听的

Ten years has passed"or "Ten years have passed"?
i like english
Senior Member
South Africa
Hello,
Previously I had the impression that a period of time is usually regarded as asingular or uncountable thing, so the verb followed is "-s" in most cases, eg. is/ has/ does/etc.
But recently, I find a question posted on the net for language learners whose answer only allows "have passed/elapsed" after "ten years",without "has passed" being listed as a possible answer.
So I wonder if "has passed" cannot follow "ten years"? Or is the answer given to the question not complete.
Thank you.
Brioche
Senior Member
Adelaide
Australia English
I would definitely use a singular in"Ten days/weeks/months/years is a long time to wait."
If "ten years" really means "a period of ten years" then I'm happy with a singular: "After ten years has passed you can apply for possession of the land".
But if you want to emphasise the cycle of time, then "have" sounds better.
Ten years have passed - ten long, lonely years - since Bill died at sea.
Loob
Senior Member
English UK
I agree with Brioche and Forero: "ten years" can be singular, meaning "a period of ten years", and therefore used with a singular verb.
A google search on "years has passed"/"years have passed"suggests that the plural version is more common.
这是一个南非人问的，澳洲人和英国人回答的。