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Ask for help > There is or there are
There is or there are
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afteleg
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Consider these:
A pen and scissors is/are on my desk.There is/are a pen and scissors on my desk.
Remember that grammar must be consistent if we were to teach it to ESL students. SO, I guess the number of the subject must dictate the number of the verb, otherwise it will be hard to answer these:
There is/ are two pens and an eraser... There is/are an eraser and two pens... |
5 Jun 2013
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Matthew@ELSP
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To afteleg.
Please see Peter �s answer to the original question.
There is nothing more to it than that, really.
Also, grammar must be consistent all the time, and not just "if we were to" teach it... Grammar does not change according to the people to whom we teach it. I am sure that was just a typing error. I do it all the time :)
Thank you. |
5 Jun 2013
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afteleg
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I respect your comment and you sirs, but I am sorryI am just not quite convinced.For the benefit of all the ESL teachers here:
based on some English corpus or native speakers, THERE+IS+PLURAL SUBJ sometimes would sound correct but i guess ESL students will benefit more if we consistently follow the SUBJ and VERB agrmrnt rules nothing more nothing less. Thank you and peace! |
6 Jun 2013
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Peter Hardy
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Good point, Afteleg, but it won �t harm your students if you explain to them that speech comes before grammar. It �s what people say that makes a language, not the rules that were, after all, created afterwards :-)
Cheers, Peter
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6 Jun 2013
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yanogator
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Yes, as Peter said, the grammar rules are just a codification of how the people use the language, not a prescription for how it should be used.
Bruce
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6 Jun 2013
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afteleg
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yes, that is what we call the "prescriptive" and "descriptive" perception of grammar. And, indeed, our perception of grammar as teachers will play a big role in how we will handle our classes and teach our lessons.
I think most teachers subscribe to the latter as it allows for a tacit and a more natural learning for the students. But the descriptive approach to teaching has been very convenient, fast and effective for the students who are not exactly exposed to an English speaking environment.
I am glad I am able to share my thoughts here and I appreciate your sharing! All for learning! |
6 Jun 2013
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