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Jeanie
Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 3
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:40 pm Post subject: There is/are... |
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Hi? When I wrote a sentence, I was confused which sentence is right.
1. There is a playground, a library, and a gym.
2. There are a playground, a library, and a gym.
Thanks for helping me. *^^* |
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junmo
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 14
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:49 pm Post subject: I think~ |
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| I think that the singular is right. |
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zeh88
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 33 Location: pakistan
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:01 am Post subject: is |
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"is" is right as there is only one gym, one library and one playground _________________ go the last mile_ and enjoy it!
Last edited by zeh88 on Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 261
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Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:28 pm Post subject: Re: There is/are... |
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Strictly speaking, both are correct.
| Quote: |
| 1. There is a playground, a library, and a gym. |
Here parts of the sentence are elliptical: There is a playground, (there is) a library, and (there is) a gym.
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| 2. There are a playground, a library, and a gym. |
The real subject is the plural compound subject a playground, a library, and a gym and takes the plural verb are.
Sentence 1 sounds more natural. Use the singular form of be. _________________ Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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Mister Micawber

Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 774 Location: Yokohama
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Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:11 am Post subject: |
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And I would suggest that we more often speak, 'There's a'-- because it is easier to say and the items are being conceived one by one, linearly-- while we write 'There are'-- since we can look ahead, see that there are three items and correct our concord.
. _________________ "I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
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Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's |
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