Hello everyone! First of all, you guys are the best! Thanks for all of the help.
Basically, the sentence is something like this: There was/were a stapler, computer, and orange on the desk.
I seem to remember a "rule of proximity" where the verb matches the first noun's number, either singular or plural. Is this right? I can't seem to find anything in the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, which is my usual go-to reference book. If someone has a page number for me as well, that would be amazing.
Huge, huge thanks in advance!
anonymousI can't seem to find anything in the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, which is my usual go-to reference book.
CGEL is a more or less theoretical description of the English language. In other words, it just summarizes what it finds, mostly from written English. It won't prescribe any rules for you to follow in your own speech or writing. You'll find that sort of thing in a "style guide".
For examples of the rule with "There is"/"There are", see
CJ
Comments
There was a stapler, computer and orange on the desk is correct.
There were three staplers, computer and orange on the desk is also correct.
Note the plurality of the noun (three staplers) that immediately follows the verb "were" in the There were... clause.
So, if the first noun in the list is singular, use "was"; when it is plural, use "were".