Is this correct grammar?

Question

Which is correct: "There was a girl and a boy" or "there were a girl and a boy"?

So...which is it, really??? I'd be great if you could provide an explanation.

So...which is it, really??? It'd be great if you could provide an explanation.

So...which is it, really??? It'd be great if you could provide an explanation.

Answer 1

Sentences which start with 'there' or 'it' and are followed by some form of 'to be', such as 'there are', 'it was', 'there have been', etc. are called 'expletive constructions'. This is one of the cases in English where the normal subject-verb order is reversed, and the subject follows the verb.

The subject is still 'a boy and a girl', even though it's after the verb. Since this is a plural subject, the verb must also be plural - WERE.

"there were a girl and a boy" is correct.

Answer 2

There is a compound subject, girl and a boy, so the plural verb were is correct. Check any grammar book

Answer 3

"There was a girl and a boy"...correct because the first a noun (i.e. a girl) is singular. In a situation like this, you use is/was if the next noun is singular and use are/were if the next noun is plural...

e.g.
There was a girl and two boys (Correct)
There were two boys and a girl (Correct)

There were a girl and two boys (incorrect)
There was two boys and a girl (incorrect)

Cheers!

Answer 4

There was a girl and a boy.

Answer 5

there was a girl and a boy because you are talking about them collectively using 'and' so u will say there WAS a girl and a boy

Answer 6

there was a girl and a boy

Answer 7

The 1st one is CORRECT because it just sounds right.

Answer 8

your 1st ans is correct, as ur talking in direct speech andpast tense

Answer 9

there was