Across the road there is (are?) a store and a fire hall

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lookfar

#92293 Fri, 22 Apr 05 04:32 AM

Ther is a list of things; there are things on the list

lookfar

Joined on Tue, Apr 19 2005

SF Bay area

Junior Member (69)

kenny dorham

#92501 Fri, 22 Apr 05 08:09 PM

The question here concerns subject-verb agreement. Almost always the the verb agrees with the subject in number. We say "Homer rides into town" and "John and Homer ride into town." In the first sentence the 3rd person singular verb "rides" agrees with the singular subject "Homer," and in the second sentence the plural verb "ride" agrees with the plural subject "John and Homer." So far, so good.
Often, however, the expletive "there" is used to fill up the space in which we usually expect to find the subject. Lookfar's sentence "Ther [sic] is a list of things; there are things on the list" is an example. The first "there" is followed by the singular verb "is" and then the singular subject "list" and the second "there" is followed by the plural verb "are" and the plural subject "things." Subject-verb agreement all around.
But when using a expletive, complications arise if the subject that follows the verb is compound and the first subject is singular. This is the case in the original sentence "Across the road there is (are?) a store and a fire hall." There is no doubt that the subject is plural ("a store and a fire hall") and that "Across the road there are a store and a fire house" would, certainly by a vast majority of English teachers, be considered correct. The problem is that "there are a store" sounds a little strange. No worries, though, because before we have time to ponder this possible problem we get our second subject ("a fire hall").
Consider this sentence, though: "There are John, whom I haven't seen in years, and Fred, my once-best friend, sitting on a park bench." Or, "There are a dog with a clipped tail and a scruffy cat on my lawn." There is no question that the subject in both sentences is plural, but "There are John" and There are a dog" offend the ear. In this case, for what it is worth, I believe it is acceptable to make the verb agree with the following subject.

Kenny Dorham

kenny dorham

Joined on Fri, Apr 22 2005

New Member (04)

Verbs, Singular verbs, Plurals, Numbers, Whom, Plural subject

abbie1948

#92522 Fri, 22 Apr 05 09:49 PM

Hi Kenny,

Got me puzzled here. Tongue Tied [:S]

There are John, whom I haven't seen in years, and Fred, my once-best friend, sitting on a park bench." Or, "There are a dog with a clipped tail and a scruffy cat on my lawn." There is no question that the subject in both sentences is plural, but "There are John" and There are a dog" offend the ear. In this case, for what it is worth, I believe it is acceptable to make the verb agree with the following subject.

I have been running this through my head, and trying to say it aloud, but I can't think of an occasion when I might use it.

Is this one of those occasions when the second use of the verb is understood, because of the clause?

e.g "There IS John, whom I haven't seen in years, and (there is ) Fred, my once-best friend, sitting on a park bench."

There are a dog with a clipped tail and a scruffy cat on my lawn." There is no question that the subject in both sentences is plural, but "There are John" and There are a dog" offend the ear. In this case, for what it is worth, I believe it is acceptable to make the verb agree with the following subject.

Kenny Dorham

Author: abbie1948
Subject: Emoticons Subject required.
Message: Hi Kenny,

Got me puzzled here. Tongue Tied [:S]

abbie1948

Joined on Thu, Mar 24 2005

England

Senior Member (2,657)

Hope that helps. Abbie

Verbs, Plurals, Clauses, Whom

kenny dorham

#92527 Fri, 22 Apr 05 10:29 PM

Hi, Abbie,

It may be unlikely that you, or anyone else for that matter, would have an occasion to use such a sentence, but let's look at it carefully anyway.

There is John, whom I haven't seen in years, and Fred, my once-best friend, sitting on a park bench.

If we remove the non-restrictive (not necessary for identification) adjective clause "whom I haven't seen in years" and the non-restrictive appositive "my once-best friend," what we have left is "There is John and Fred, sitting on a park bench." Without the adjective clause and the appositive it is fairly clear that most people would say "There are John and Fred, sitting on a park bench" (plural subject, plural verb). My point was that when using the expletive "there," if you begin to add elements (clauses or phrases) between your first subject (in this case "John") and your second subject ("in this case "Fred"), the plural verb begins to sound rather peculiar.

I kind of like your idea of an understood explective and subject, but this happens, unless I am mistaken, exclusively in adverb clauses ("Although tired, he fought on," "he was" being understood.)

kenny dorham

Verbs, Plurals, Clauses, Adverbs, Whom, Plural subject

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