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Adriana1109 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
There is / are...
Dear teachers:
There's a sentence I found in a grammar textbook: "There ___ a boy and a girl playing in the classroom." I usually hear people say "there is ...", but someone says "There are..." is more correct.
I am really confused. Thank you for your help.
There's a sentence I found in a grammar textbook: "There ___ a boy and a girl playing in the classroom." I usually hear people say "there is ...", but someone says "There are..." is more correct.
I am really confused. Thank you for your help.
Top answer
The "boy and girl" are a compound subject and should use the plural form of the verb ("are"). ). edu/owl/resource/599/01 /
- The "boy and girl" are a compound subject and should use the plural form of the verb ("are").
- ).
- edu/owl/resource/599/01 /
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1 Answers
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The "boy and girl" are a compound subject and should use the plural form of the verb ("are"). "is" is often used because each noun is singular and some people don't consider them as a compound subject, or the speaker could mean to imply the verb is listed twice ("There is a boy, and [there is] a girl...).
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