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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

The use of was and were

What is proper?
There apparently were a problem to be solved and a question to be answered.
or
There apparently was a problem to be solved and a question to be answered.
kindly elaborate your answer.
  

Top answer

Although your instinct might tell you that the problem and the question are two things and therefore should take "were," "There is" or "There was" is a very common way start when the first element is singular. There was a dog and two cats. There were two cats and a dog.

— BarbaraPA

  • Although your instinct might tell you that the problem and the question are two things and therefore should take "were," "There is" or "There was" is a very common way start when the first element is singular.
  • There was a dog and two cats.
  • There were two cats and a dog.
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3 Answers
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Although your instinct might tell you that the problem and the question are two things and therefore should take "were," "There is" or "There was" is a very common way start when the first element is singular.

There was a dog and two cats. There were two cats and a dog.
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Grammar GeekAlthough your instinct might tell you that the problem and the question are two things and therefore should take "were," "There is" or "There was" is a very common way start when the first element is singular.

There was a dog and two cats. There were two cats and a dog.

As to a rule in english, if 'and' is used then we are to us
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See these:

http://www.1-language.com/englishcourse/unit17_grammar.htm "Sometimes however we can use "there is" with compound subjects, for example:
There's a bank and a post office near my house"

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