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 #2 (permalink) Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:37 am Are vs. is |
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Hi Enlearnercn,
The pencils and paper together make more than one thing. This is a plural subject and that's why you need ARE (a verb in the plural).
Imagine you want to replace "the pencils and paper" with a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). You definitely need THEY. Consider both examples:
1. The pencils and paper ARE on your desk.
2. They ARE on your desk.
Hope this helps.
Daniela
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Daniela
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| #3 (permalink) Sun Mar 05, 2006 14:29 pm Are vs. is |
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| Daniela wrote: |
Hi Enlearnercn,
The pencils and paper together make more than one thing. This is a plural subject and that's why you need ARE (a verb in the plural).
Imagine you want to replace "the pencils and paper" with a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). You definitely need THEY. Consider both examples:
1. The pencils and paper ARE on your desk.
2. They ARE on your desk.
Hope this helps.
Daniela |
And in what situation can we use the Is as there is a plural subject |
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stone
Guest
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| #4 (permalink) Sun Dec 24, 2006 5:32 am Are vs. is |
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| I am sorry that I cannot understand the explanation. I have found my grammer book, it said that when two subjects which are joined by "and" express one idea or refer to the same person or thing, the verb is singular, example: Curry "and" Chicken "is" my facourite dish, The famous composer "and" singer "is" in Hong Kong. And then in this sentance "The pencils and paper "are" on your desk. " why we use ARE? |
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Kalon
New Member
Joined: 23 Dec 2006
Posts: 6
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| #5 (permalink) Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:43 am Are vs. is |
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Hi Kalon
When two subjects are joined by and, most of the time you need a plural verb.
Sometimes two subjects form a single concept, however. And then you need a singular verb. I'll try to explain the examples your dictionary gave.
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| Curry "and" Chicken "is" my facourite dish. |
You might go to a restaurant and see "Curry and Chicken" as one of the items you can order on the menu. This is one single dish (recipe) consisting of chicken prepared with curry. After preparation, it is served to you on one plate as one single dish.
| Quote: |
| The famous composer "and" singer "is" in Hong Kong. |
Imagine Paul McCartney is in Hong Kong. He is one man who is both a singer and a composer. If you refer to him as "the famous composer and singer" instead of using his name, you are still referring to only one man and therefore you need a singular verb.
| Quote: |
| "The pencils and paper "are" on your desk." |
This is the usual situation. You are talking about different and separate things that are on a desk. If you talk about ONLY "the paper" or ONLY one "pencil", you need a singular verb. ("The paper is on you desk." / "The pencil is on your desk.")
But if you talk about "pencil(s)" AND "paper", then you have a plural subject and need a plural verb -- as usual. Saying "the pencils and paper" does not create a single concept or a single thing -- they are simply different, separate things.
Hope that helps.
Amy
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Yankee
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| #6 (permalink) Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:03 am Are vs. is |
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| Oh~~~I quite understand, thank you for your explanation, Amy! |
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Kalon
New Member
Joined: 23 Dec 2006
Posts: 6
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| #7 (permalink) Sat Nov 28, 2009 14:33 pm The pencil and paper is on my desk? |
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| Thanks Amy..great answer.. |
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 Watie
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 11 Nov 2009
Posts: 162
Location: Indonesia
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| I think it should be: Do you like Microsoft or Macintossh computers? | 'All you have to do is to telephone this number' OR 'All you have to make is ...' |
