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Which sentence is correct?

You as the parent are aware of this letter.

You as the parent is aware of this letter.

Should I use the first sentence because of you, although parent is a singular word? In that case isn't you as the parent used as collective form?

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  • 1
    A parent is aware of the letter but You (as a parent) are aware of ... – bookmanu Aug 10 '18 at 7:16
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    The basic sentence is 'You are aware of this letter'. 'As a parent' is just a phrase describing 'you' - it doesn't affect the verb. – Kate Bunting Aug 10 '18 at 7:42
  • Keep in mind that "you" can be singular or plural, depending on context (in your example "the parent"). – user3169 Aug 10 '18 at 18:42
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Kate Bunting's comment about using are in that sentence is correct. The subject is you; therefore, the verb should be are.

It's also worth noting that most English speakers would write As the parent, you are aware of this letter.
This is likely to be less confusing (and it makes clear why the verb should be are instead of is).

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  • 1
    Please include what Kate Bunting's answer was. Currently, this is not a standalone answer and the comment you're referring to could easily be deleted. – Bilkokuya Aug 10 '18 at 12:17
  • 'It's also worth noting that most English speakers would tidy up this sentence by writing "As the parent, you are aware of this letter."' I don't know, the phrasing in the original question sounds a lot more official to me - the sort of thing you might see on an official document being sent out by the government. – nick012000 Aug 11 '18 at 14:25

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