Which of the following is correct?
Does the is/are depend on the total number of things in the list, or only on the thing immediately following the is/are?
There is 1 apple and 1 orange available.
There are 1 apple and 1 orange available.
Also, would it make a difference if one would put the is/are near the end, like so?
1 apple and 1 orange is available.
1 apple and 1 orange are available.
Answer
This one is right:
There is 1 apple and 1 orange available
This is wrong:
There are 1 apple and 1 orange available.
I would personally say
There is an apple and an orange available.
This is now wrong
1 apple and 1 orange is available
This is right (almost):
1 apple and 1 orange are available.
But again, I would say
An apple and an orange are available.
These are both correct:
There is an apple and 2 oranges available.
There are 2 apples and an orange available
So it depends on the number of objects the is/are is referring to first.
2 apples and an orange are available.
An apples and 2 oranges are available.
When it is at the end, it refers to the total number of objects.
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