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Jane Horrell Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Is there or Are there?

Hi. I am an English teacher in South Korea. My Korean colleagues have asked me to clarify some grammar and I'm lost.

Which sentence is written grammatically correct?



1: Is there a bookstore and a shoe store there?

2: Are there a bookstore and a shoe store there?



I would have thought #1 was correct and #2 was wrong. However, do you treat the subject ' a bookstore and a shoe store' as a plural subject? So therefore should you start the sentence with ‘are’?



Is there any clear answer to this issue?

Thank you for your help.
  

Top answer

Jane Horrell Is there any clear answer to this issue? Not exactly, because both versions are acceptable. The same question comes up from time to time.

— CalifJim

  • Jane Horrell Is there any clear answer to this issue?
  • Not exactly, because both versions are acceptable.
  • The same question comes up from time to time.
  • See Verb Agreement See Subject verb agreement question CJ
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2 Answers
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Jane HorrellIs there any clear answer to this issue?
Not exactly, because both versions are acceptable.
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CalifJim Not exactly, because both versions are acceptable. CJ
I agree, and perhaps it is helpful to add the following.

Grammatically "are" seems to be correct. But "is" is what native speakers usually say, and therefore "is" sounds correct.
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