Re: There is/are

rvw — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:49:53 GMT

Grammar demands a plural verb with a plural subject. Are should be used in all of Selvakumar's and Katarina's examples.

But Webster's Dictionary of English Usage points out that there is a "...long-standing propensity for there is or there's in every case, even when the following subject is clearly plural and there are no complications to cloud our minds. Jespersen finds the same construction in Danish, Russian, and Italian, and dates it back in English to the 15th century."

Common or not, there is with a plural subject is "...generally avoided in the literary style."

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Re: There is/are