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Averell Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

"There was no shop open" or "There were no shops open"

Dear,

I think that both these two sentences: "There was no shop open" and "There were no shops open" are grammatically correct, but I'm not sure. So, could you help me?

And, if both are correct, is there any difference ([Emotion: smile] orare there any differences) between using these two sentences?
  

Top answer

I see no difference in effective meaning, Averell, and both are correct. The singular form sound slightly more formal and concise to me. In context, choice could depend on what precedes: I was looking for a barber shop, but there was no shop open.

— Mister Micawber

  • I see no difference in effective meaning, Averell, and both are correct.
  • The singular form sound slightly more formal and concise to me.
  • In context, choice could depend on what precedes: I was looking for a barber shop, but there was no shop open.
  • I was looking for anywhere to buy a candy bar, but there were no shops open.
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3 Answers
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I see no difference in effective meaning, Averell, and both are correct. The singular form sound slightly more formal and concise to me. In context, choice could depend on what precedes:

I was looking for a barber shop, but there was no shop open.
I was looking for anywhere to buy a candy bar, but there were no shops open.


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Thank Mr. Micawber!

And does this rule also apply for is there any difference/are there any differences?
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Out of context, I would say so, Averell. Choice would again depend on whether the speaker had in the back of his/her mind a single difference or more than one as possibilities, I think.
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