Is/are

Question

If I writePeter is coming tomorrow or Peter and his parents are comming tomorrow,there is no doubt about the proper use of is/are. But what if I writePeter (and his parents) XXX coming tomorrow.Would you see the parenthesis as something that should not interfere with the grammar of the rest of the sentence? This would lead you to replace XXX with "is". Or would you be more concerned with the way the sentence is read? This would lead you to replace XXX with "are".My personal choice is "are".-- Claus Tondering

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In article (Email Removed), Claus Tondering (Email Removed) writes:
[nq:1]But what if I write Peter (and his parents) *** coming tomorrow. Would you see the parenthesis as something that ... the way the sentence is read? This would lead you to replace *** with "are". My personal choice is "are".[/nq]
I agree with all that you've said. But the best solution would probably be to omit the brackets. -- John Hall

"I am not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]If I write Peter is coming tomorrow or Peter and his parents are comming tomorrow, there is no doubt about ... But generally the parentheses exclude the idea within them from the main sentence, so strictly speaking your chice is wrong.[/nq]
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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I agree with Enide's opnion.

"Einde O'Callaghan" (Email Removed) ?? news:br9ne0$u8f6$(Email Removed)...
[nq:2]If I write Peter is coming tomorrow or Peter and ... to replace *** with "are". My personal choice is "are".[/nq]
[nq:1]I'd re-write the sentence "Peter is coming tomorrow (along with his parents)". But generally the parentheses exclude the idea within them from the main sentence, so strictly speaking your chice is wrong. Regards, Einde O'Callaghan[/nq]

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[nq:1]I agree with Enide's opnion.[/nq]
And I with Tyon Ole's nipnop. But you will have to scroll down to the bottom of this post in order to read why this is so.

Isn't life a pain?
[nq:1]"Einde O'Callaghan" (Email Removed) ?? news:br9ne0$u8f6$(Email Removed)...[/nq]
[nq:2] I'd re-write the sentence "Peter is coming tomorrow (along ... the main sentence, so strictly speaking your chice is wrong.[/nq]
I'd leave out the parentheses. Is there anything wrong with 'Peter and his parents are coming tomorrow', apart from the obvious schoolboy ambiguity?

Why are the parentheses necessary?

Giles.

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Giles Todd (Email Removed) writes:
[nq:1]I'd leave out the parentheses. Is there anything wrong with 'Peter and his parents are coming tomorrow', apart from the obvious schoolboy ambiguity? Why are the parentheses necessary?[/nq]
I'm surprised that you can advocate leaving out the parentheses when all you have is a single sentence taken out of context. Surely the parentheses may make perfect sense in a certain context. Imagine an email exchange that goes along these lines:

A: I want to know which of the children are coming today. B: John and Anne are coming today. A: Did you remember to ask their parents to come as well? B: Yes, of course. A: What about Peter? B: Peter (and his parents) are coming tomorrow.

Of course the last sentence also makes sense without the parentheses, but I still believe that they can be justified.

Anyway, the responses to my original question (should one use "is" or "are" int the last sentence in the above dialogue) have been ambiguous. One person has answered "are", and a couple of others have answered "is".

My personal preference is still "are" because the text in the parentheses is always included when you read the sentence. Yes, the parentheses signal that "and his parents" may be omitted, but in reality the words are hardly ever skipped when we read the sentence.

A similar question: Is "is" or "are" correct in the following sentence?

The doctor or the nurses is/are coming tomorrow.

Here, my personal preference is:

The doctor or the nurses are coming tomorrow. The nurses or the doctor is coming tomorrow.

-- Claus Tondering

Usenet · Answer

In article (Email Removed), Claus Tondering (Email Removed) writes:
[nq:1]A similar question: Is "is" or "are" correct in the following sentence? The doctor or the nurses is/are coming tomorrow. Here, my personal preference is: The doctor or the nurses are coming tomorrow. The nurses or the doctor is coming tomorrow.[/nq]
Neither option feels altogether satisfactory. I would avoid the problem by writing: "Either the doctor or the nurses will be coming tomorrow." -- John Hall "Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger." Franklin P Jones

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[nq:1]Giles Todd (Email Removed) writes:[/nq]
[nq:2]I'd leave out the parentheses. Is there anything wrong with ... from the obvious schoolboy ambiguity? Why are the parentheses necessary?[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm surprised that you can advocate leaving out the parentheses when all you have is a single sentence taken out ... Of course the last sentence also makes sense without the parentheses, but I still believe that they can be justified.[/nq]
As the above is clearly a conversation, how do you represent parentheses in speech? It's because language is at heart a spoken medium that the form of the verb follows what we hear rather than what we read. I don't think anybody would ever use a singular noun in this context whatever the punctuation. If we want to accentuate a singular part of the subject in speech we rephrase the sentence.

It's possible to think of ways in which we might use a singular -

Peter, along with his parents, is coming tomorrow.

- but the use of a more dissociative "along with" signals that Peter is the true subject. The use of "and" signals a normal plural subject taking a plural verb. I think that's why people have suggested simply removing the brackets. -- Phil C.

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Phil C. (Email Removed) writes:
[nq:2]Imagine an email exchange that goes along these lines: A: ... coming today. B: John and Anne are coming today. etc...[/nq]
[nq:1]As the above is clearly a conversation, how do you represent parentheses in speech?[/nq]
"Imagine an email exchange..." because I wanted avoid the remark that you can't hear parentheses in speech.
[nq:1]I don't think anybody would ever use a singular noun in this context whatever the punctuation.[/nq]
Do you mean a singular verb?

-- Claus Tondering

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[nq:1]In article (Email Removed), Claus Tondering (Email Removed) writes:[/nq]
[nq:2]A similar question: Is "is" or "are" correct in the ... coming tomorrow. The nurses or the doctor is coming tomorrow.[/nq]
[nq:1]Neither option feels altogether satisfactory. I would avoid the problem by writing: "Either the doctor or the nurses will be coming tomorrow."[/nq]
I agree wholeheartedly. In such cases most people will come up with a construction that eliminates the need for deciding whether to use the singular or plural forms or they will reformulate the sentence to eliminate any ambiguity (e.g. "You will be seen by either the doctor or the nurses tomorrow") - and that includes not only speech, but perhaps even more so a written exchange, such as an email.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Phil C. (Email Removed) writes:[/nq]
[nq:2] As the above is clearly a conversation, how do you represent parentheses in speech?[/nq]
[nq:1] "Imagine an email exchange..." because I wanted avoid the remark that you can't hear parentheses in speech.[/nq]
Fair enough but it doesn't make any difference. We speak long before we write and what sounds right is crucial to choosing whether a verb is singular or plural, even in writing. Reading is, after all, speech in our heads. If we're unsure about written grammar, we rehearse it in our heads to see whether it sounds right. If it doesn't, we recast the sentence. Insisting on a usage even though it sounds wrong would be seen as eccentric.

Is any if this different in other languages?
[nq:2]I don't think anybody would ever use a singular noun in this context whatever the punctuation.[/nq]
[nq:1]Do you mean a singular verb?[/nq]
Yes. Typing error. -- Phil C.

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