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Which one is correct?

There is an apple and an orange..

or

There are an apple and an orange?"

Raghav
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ashpool
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2 Answers2

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To answer the actual question, "There is" would be correct. If you rearrange the sentence then it becomes a different question.

Sam
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    Please do not mark down an answer to the question without the decency to comment and also try not to answer a different question in an attempt to look smart. This is about answering questions and helping people. Thanks. – Sam May 21 '13 at 21:10
  • "There are" is correct, regardless of the order of the sentence, as Sparr's answer below indicates. Many native English speakers (perhaps most) would incorrectly say "there is" while speaking casually. That does not make it correct. – Jeremy Lavine Sep 18 '13 at 18:55
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If you rearrange the sentence, it becomes more apparent:

"An apple and an orange is there." vs "An apple and an orange are there".

The correct form is "are".

Sparr
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    If you rearrage the sentence, it becomes a different sentence. Please do not rearrange sentences. More to the point, it is safe to say that thousands of native speakers all over the world are using "there's" followed by a plural this very minute, rendering your answer wrong. – RegDwigнt May 21 '13 at 20:35
  • @RegDwighт the meaning of the sentence isn't changed by the rearrangement. Both orderings indicate "those fruit exist [in that place]". – Sparr May 21 '13 at 20:53
  • The question is about syntax, not meaning. The meaning of the sentence is not changed by using "there is" instead of "there are", either. Both indicate "those fruit exist [in that place]". So now your answer is even wrong by your own logic. – RegDwigнt May 22 '13 at 11:58
  • @RegDwighт I'm not telling him to rearrange the sentence. I am pointing out that the answer to his question about verbe selection is more apparent in the rearranged sentence. rearrange -> choose verb -> unrearrange with chosen verb. – Sparr May 22 '13 at 13:59