Usage of few ('There is a few places' vs 'There are a few places')

[ched133]

Hi

I have been hearing native English speakers use this expression both ways

There is a few places you could go

There are a few places you could go

Do i follow the normal rule "are" when the subject is clearly Plural?

[Jamie (K)]

The problem is that many native English speakers, when speaking informally, have started using "there is" or "there's" as an inseparable unit, and sometimes they don't change it for the plural when they should. You should follow the normal rule for when the subject is plural, and say, "There are a few places you could go."

[ched133]

thank you

What about the phrase "I have got"
Grammatically speaking it should be "have + past participle" = have gotten

People don't say "i have gotten a friend" and almost always "i have got a friend" is used

1) is it acceptable to use "have got" in formal writing?
2) If i want to blend in an informal setting, when should i use "have got" and when should i use "have gotten"

[Jamie (K)]

In the US:
"I have got" means "I have".
"I have gotten" means "I have received".

UK English has lost the form "gotten", so they don't use it at all, whether in writing or speaking.