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Hela Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
There + verb + multiple singular subjects
Hello,
I read that when the expletive "there" is followed by 2 singular subjects, the verb should be singular. The reason for it is that it avoids the repetition of "there is a dictionary and there is a notebook on the desk." Is this grammatically correct or is it "informal English"?
For example, would you say:
There is a dictionary and a notebook on the teacher's desk.
or
There are a dictionary and a notebook... ?
Thank you for your help.
I read that when the expletive "there" is followed by 2 singular subjects, the verb should be singular. The reason for it is that it avoids the repetition of "there is a dictionary and there is a notebook on the desk." Is this grammatically correct or is it "informal English"?
For example, would you say:
There is a dictionary and a notebook on the teacher's desk.
or
There are a dictionary and a notebook... ?
Thank you for your help.
Top answer
Hela Ther e is a dictionary and a notebook on the teacher's desk. That is what I would say. The word order is important.
- Hela Ther e is a dictionary and a notebook on the teacher's desk.
- That is what I would say.
- The word order is important.
- A dictionary and a notebook are on the teacher's desk.
- On the teacher's desk is / are a dictionary and a notebook.
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1 Answers
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HelaThere is a dictionary and a notebook on the teacher's desk.That is what I would say.
The word order is important.
A dictionary and a notebook are on the teacher's desk.
On the teacher's desk is / are a dictionary and a notebook. (I would tend to use "is".)
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