A and B [is/are] what [was/were] decisive in my decision...

[Unomyname]

The impeccable reputation of XXXXX as one of the premier California business law firms and its “flexible” rotation system 1. are/is what 2. has/have been decisive in my decision to apply for an articling position with your firm.

I am inclined to choose: 1. are and 2. has

Am I correct?

[Kitosdad]

is-has would be my choice. Alan will probably decide.
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Keep it simple. Keep it interesting.

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Unomyname,

Is this a sentence you've written yourself? Or is it a sentence taken from a test?

[Unomyname]

Yes, these are two different factors.
So that is why i agree with "are"
However, why do you think "have" should be used? Doesn't "have/has" refer to "what", rather than the two factors in the main sentence?

[Esl_Expert]

I do understand the way you are viewing things. And yes, the verb "have" refers to "what". However, if you say "are what" in the sentence, then you have established "what" as being a reference to more than one thing. In other words, you have clearly made "what" plural: "what" = "two deciding factors". That's how I see it.

Why not just get rid of the "is/are what" part completely? Then simply decide whether you think it is justifiable to treat the two factors that are mentioned as a single, collective unit. (I doubt that I would.)

You could also eliminate any question of whether to use is/are and has/have by writing your sentence this way, for example:

The impeccable reputation of XXXXX as one of the premier California business law firms, as well as its “flexible” rotation system, is what has been decisive in my decision to apply for an articling position with your firm.

I'd say using "as well as" rather than "and", then setting off the entire phrase with commas, would establish beyond any shadow of a doubt that you should use the singular form of both verbs. I would also eliminate "is what" in that sentence if I had my druthers. While I'm at it, I might as well also mention that there are probably more elegant ways of saying "decisive in my decision".

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“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Unomyname]

thank you very much. this is extremely helpful.
i noticed the decisive decision thing this morning. Clearly, this should be changed :)

[Unomyname]

speaking of which - which one would you prefer?

it has been decisive in my determination to apply

or

it has been determinative in my decision to apply

?