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Which of two following sentences is correct?

  1. Depending on whether a birth or a death occurs , we have...

  2. Depending on whether a birth or a death occur, we have...

Update I changed the title.

Sinusx
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    The plurality of the verb has nothing to do with "whether", but with whether the subject, "a birth or a death", is singular or plural. So see this question. – Peter Shor Aug 02 '14 at 13:14
  • Since "a birth or a death" is singular, one should use the singular form, right? – Sinusx Aug 02 '14 at 13:42
  • There is the possibility of 'occur' being used as subjunctive here, compare for example 'depending on whether he be a philosopher or a poet'; '... depending on whether he like ...'; '... depending on whether he make the All Blacks ...' [internet]. Perhaps subjunctive fanatics would demand it? – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 14:02
  • @Peter Shor Which question? – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 14:53
  • The title asks one question, but the body is irrelevant to the title, as @PeterShor stated. s/Depending on whether/If/ and change the title. – SrJoven Aug 02 '14 at 15:01
  • The title is incorrect/misleading. – Kris Aug 02 '14 at 15:26
  • @Edwin: you're right; that's the wrong question. – Peter Shor Aug 02 '14 at 15:51
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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is predicated (non-grammatical sense) on a false premise. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 15:52
  • Be apprised that all “Which is correct?” questions are off-topic proofreading requests, and that changing the title does not affect this designation. – tchrist Aug 03 '14 at 17:53

1 Answers1

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OP's example #2 looks a bit unlikely, but in certain contexts it could be valid. As they say, it all depends on the "whether" - in this case, whether the two possibilities are...

1 A: a birth occurs, OR B: a death occurs
2 A: a birth or death occurs, OR B: neither of those things happens (happen??!!!)

If OP intends the second distinction, the plural verb form in #2 is fine.

I wouldn't have a problem with a hotel manager saying...

"It all depends on whether the King or Queen turn up - if not, we might be able to let you have the Royal Suite tonight"

In that context, the two possibilities referenced by whether are that either a senior royal arrives (and thus gets the best room in the house) or neither of them do (in which case you will get the accommodation upgrade).

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FumbleFingers
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    ???Depending on whether a boy or a girl are born??? 'Depending on whether a boy or a girl is born' is the only non-subjunctive option. 'Depending on whether it's a boy or a girl that is born' and 'Depending on whether or not a boy or a girl is born' disambiguate. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 13:57
  • @Edwin: I think by switching to a boy/girl being born you're changing the potential contexts in such a way that it's probably impossible to contemplate using the plural. But I'll edit... – FumbleFingers Aug 02 '14 at 14:14
  • 'whether A or B' always takes a verb agreeing in number with B, at least in traditional grammar. I've yet to see an authority licensing say 'It all depends on whether the King or Queen turn up'. 'Occur' here is, I'd say, a marginal usage corresponding to 'depending on whether a boy or a girl be born'. ie subjunctive, not plural indicative. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 14:22
  • @Edwin: Call it "marginal" if you like. I'm perfectly happy with the plural verb form in OP's context provided the intended sense is what I set out. I'm blissfully unconcerned about any prescriptive grammar that tells me I shouldn't be happy with such usages, and I'm in no doubt that at least some other native speakers will agree with me. – FumbleFingers Aug 02 '14 at 14:25
  • This disagrees with tchrist's accepted answer here. And is strongly refuted by these Ngrams. And I'm mildly concerned about do-it-yourself approaches to English. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 14:42
  • @Edwin: Again, you're simply confusing the issue. tchrist's answer relates to constructions involving *either, and in any case he has a propensity to adopt uncompromising positions in relation to "correct" grammar, regardless of what people actually* say. – FumbleFingers Aug 02 '14 at 14:52
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    People? Can you come up with some evidence, or are we descending into unsubstantiated opinion / hearsay? – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 14:55
  • Folks, we do have [ell.se] next doors. Drop in sometime. – Kris Aug 02 '14 at 15:25
  • @Edwin: I suppose you're going to tell me that Jonathan Swift's usage doesn't count? ...asking me "whether the king or queen of that country were* thick of hearing?"* Stop being so prescriptive. – FumbleFingers Aug 02 '14 at 16:24
  • I'd bet heavily that that's a subjunctive usage, especially given the date of writing. Check the previous thread. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '14 at 22:14