Korean Job Discussion Forums

[T-J]

I understand which of the following two is correct and why. The problem is my damn native ear that responds to the incorrect one like nails on a chalk board.

1) One day there was a father and a son in a yard.

2) One day there were a father and a son in a yard.

Insight appreciated.

By the way, # 2 is the "correct" sentence.

[edwardcatflap]

Says who?

[T-J]

[edwardcatflap]

source?

[lichtarbeiter]

#1 is also acceptable AND far more frequent. It is acceptable because the predicate nominals "a father" and "a son" can complement "There was..." separately.

Think of it as "One day there was a father and (there was) a son in a yard." Due to the syntax of the sentence, the second "there was" can be assumed and omitted to prevent redundancy.

To compare, the following sentence is grammatical and understood properly even with the part in brackets omitted:

"The man went to the hardware store and (the man went to) the pharmacy."

Of course the fact that there are two predicate nouns does not change the conjugation of the verb, but this is simply to illustrate that a subect-verb structure can be omitted and still assumed.

[edwardcatflap]

Here's a source

Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage (far and away the best usage book) says (under "there is, there are"):
...when a compound subject follows the verb and the first element is singular, we find mixed usage�the verb may be either singular or plural. Jesperson 1909-49 (vol. 2) explains the singular verb as a case of attraction of the verb to the first subject, and illustrates it with this from Shakespeare:
There comes an old man, and his three sons �As You Like It, 1600
Penn & Ebbitt 1972 also suggests that many writers feel the plural verb is awkward before a singular noun, and Bryant 1962 cites studies that show the singular verb is much more common in standard English. ... Some writers, however, follow formal agreement and use a plural verb...

In the more complex constructions, you are best guided by your own sense of what sounds right in the particular context to avoid awkwardness and maintain the smooth flow of the sentence.

[T-J]

Thanks to both of you for your responses.

English Grammar for Dummies obviously can't hold a candle to Merriam-Webster.

This all started when I corrected "were" to "was" in something produced by my son's school. I was then told that their NET had reviewed it and it was in fact correct with "were".

This of course caused me to doubt what my ear was telling me and my reference wasn't nearly as thorough as yours.

Thanks again.