what to use, this or these? help

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Anonymous  #349237  Tue, 10 Apr 07 05:50 PM
Hi, can anyone please tell me which is right? "There are this boy, this girl, these ducks."  or "There is this boy, this girl, these ducks." Help. thanks
  
pieanne  #349242  Tue, 10 Apr 07 06:00 PM
I favour your second solution. Others may disagree, though Smile [:)]
  
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CalifJim  #349375  Wed, 11 Apr 07 02:10 AM
They are both somewhat unusual and somewhat contradictory.
there (as an adverb of place) is associated with things that are at some distance from the speaker (in contrast to here).
this and these are associated with things that are near the speaker (in contrast to that and those).

There are this boy and this girl says
In that position at a distance from me are the boy near me and the girl near me.

That doesn't make a lot of sense.  Smile [:)]

How about That boy and that girl are there or This boy and this girl are here ???  I think these are better.
_________

there (as the adverb of existence) is only used with indefinite determiners in the typical cases.  The demonstratives this, that, these, and those just don't go with there (of existence) except in special circumstances not operative in the examples we are discussing here.  Moreover, an expression of location is often used with there (of existence).

There are a boy and a girl next to the car.
There are some ducks in the pond.
There is a boy at the door.  There is a duck on the lawn.


CJ


  
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