"There is" or "There are"?
Dear teachers,
The following is a sentence from the excerpt from 60 minutes. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-u-s-jobs-vulnerable-to-workers-with-h-1b-visas/)
- Sara Blackwell: And there’s two reasons - there’s two words of why this is happening: corporate greed.
I think the above sentence should be read:
And there are two reasons - there are two words of why this is happening: corporate greed.
I would like to have your review and feedback for this.
Thanks and best regards,
David Kim
Top answer
I agree; strictly speaking it should be the plural "there are". But in informal style, especially in present tense declaratives with reduced is, (as in the examples you cite), many people treat "there" as always singular. Prescriptivists disapprove but the usage is too well established to be treated as an occasional slip.
- I agree; strictly speaking it should be the plural "there are".
- But in informal style, especially in present tense declaratives with reduced is, (as in the examples you cite), many people treat "there" as always singular.
- Prescriptivists disapprove but the usage is too well established to be treated as an occasional slip.
- Perhaps English should admit a new invariable lexeme "theres" (no apostrophe) which has no inherent number and hence can be used freely with either singular or plural displaced subjects: "Theres a fly in my soup" ~ "Theres flies in my soup".
- )
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I agree; strictly speaking it should be the plural "there are".
But in informal style, especially in present tense declaratives with reduced is, (as in the examples you cite), many people treat "there" as always singular. Prescriptivists disapprove but the usage is too well established to be treated as an occasional slip.
Perhaps English should admit a new invariable lexe
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