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ESL forum >
Ask for help > grammaticality
grammaticality
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t.javanshir
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grammaticality
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Hi there, What do you think of the following sentence? Do you think there is/are a garage and elevator in that building? Could you explain, too? |
5 Aug 2015
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kohai
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There is a garage in that building.
There are two garages...
There is a garage and an elevator...
There are garages and elevators... We use: There are + plural nouns There is + singular nounsThat is how we usually teach our schoolchildren.
But The Merriam-Webster Guide to English Usage states as follows: When a compound subject follows the verb and the first element is singular, the verb may be either singular or plural:There is a lake and several small streams.There are a dog and a few cats in the house. The singular construction is more common. |
6 Aug 2015
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douglas
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Despite the "and" making the object apparently plural, I would use the singular. I would however say: "a garage and an elevator". |
6 Aug 2015
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yanogator
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Yes, definitely with "an elevator". Without "an", it sounds like "garage and elevator" is some kind of unit. Do you think there is a garage and an elevator in an"that building?
Bruce |
6 Aug 2015
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