Usage and Grammar

Q. Please help me to defend this. The boss thinks it’s wrong. “The fit, the style, the stores. It’s all right here.” She thinks it should be “They’re all right here.” Please help me defend “it’s.” Thanks so much.

A. I’m sorry, but I can’t defend the grammar. The first sentence has three items in it, and the plural is “they,” not “it.” Using “it” would be like saying “Tom, Dick, Harry. He’s the one for me.” But I think I understand what you’re aiming at. You might feel that “They’re all right here” is too specific to be appealing. It’s limited to fit, style, and stores, when we all want so much more! In ad-speak, “It’s all right here” needn't refer literally to the items in the first sentence, but instead may be taken to refer to that something more we're looking for in our shopping mall experience, like “the meaning of life.” If the two elements are placed apart from each other in the ad, you might get away with it. But good luck convincing your boss.