>>>>>IOW, fat chance. Instead, we're doing our family reunions here. The sons-in-law (or was it son-in-laws?) like it here, specially the food, and there's zero trouble at the border. No visa needed.
>>>>
>>>>"Sons-in-law" is correct.
>>>
>>>Thanks - it's these little things that surprise me every now and then, and then I just stop in my tracks and... don't know anymore which one is correct. Analysis paralysis, combined with subperfect memory :).
>>
>>To take it even further, "Sons-in-law are correct". It's one of my problems with English, when a word clearly refer to more than one, shall I use "is" or "are".
>
>In this case, it was the quotation marks around "sons-in-law" that made it singular. It was shorthand for saying:
>
>The word "sons-in-law" is correct.
>
>There, you can clearly see that the subject is "the word," which is singular. OTOH, if I were discussing a disagreement between my (fictitious) daughters and their husbands, and the men had the right answer, I might say:
>
>Sons-in-law are correct.
>
>Tamar

I knew that "is" was correct in this case, but I have been in doubt in many other cases.