"Why are there both a somethingA and a somethingB?" vs "Why is there both a somethingA and a somethingB?"
What are their differences in usage, meaning and historical prevalence?
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1Possibly a duplicate: There is / there are depends on plurality or not of the first list element? However, "why is there both a" easily outperforms "why are there both a" in Google searches. Google 4-grams show "is there both a" outperformed 'are there both a' at all times except in 2007. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 04 '23 at 11:07
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"correct" is a misleading term here. It's a *stylistic choice* - that 150 years ago was more likely to be made in favour of the singular verb, whereas today we usually say There are* both [this thing and that thing]*. – FumbleFingers Apr 04 '23 at 18:43
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@FumbleFingers The statements made in your comments are the opinion based. This question asks if singular or plural should be used with "both". It is not obvious as to why this is purely a "stylistic choice" and not a grammatical issue. By your logic and definitions someone could say that, a question that was NOT closed, https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/2426/backward-versus-backwards-is-there-any-difference, about "Backward" vs "Backwards", is also a "stylistic choice". Moreover, the question has 3 upvotes and its answer has 4 upvotes! – ARGYROU MINAS Apr 05 '23 at 08:48
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ELU is for linguists, etymologists, and (serious) English language enthusiasts, who I would expect to be aware that both pluralities occur with the word "both". But I would have no objection to questions like this on English Language Learners. I haven't looked at your linked question, but *backward/backwards* is probably relevant in terms of a US/UK usage split, and history - it certainly wouldn't be acceptable to ask "Which is correct?", imho. – FumbleFingers Apr 05 '23 at 10:47
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@FumbleFingers So, I guess you disagree wit the term "correct". I edited it out. Is it more agreeable now? – ARGYROU MINAS Apr 05 '23 at 11:13
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Well, it's certainly true that the word "correct" irritates me in contexts like this. But many years ago I asked my own "uncertain plurality" question "There is/are more than one". What's the difference? (where I wanted to explore the issue, not have some pedant trying to tell me which is "correct"). So maybe there's something in this one, I dunno. – FumbleFingers Apr 05 '23 at 11:23
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There is both or why is there both would be preferable when "both" is followed by two singular terms.
I couldn't find much in the way of examples for "why is there both a... and a...", or similar uses with two singular nouns. Google NGrams was no help. But I found some for the non-question form (via Google Books snippet view):
"there is both a quantifiable measure and a non-quantifiable" (Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related.... United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. 2011)
"There is both Social cohesion and conflict." (Publications Volumes 12–14 By University of South Carolina. Public Administration Bureau. 1956)
"There is both a local and national interest in improving the local road network" (Government and the Economy on the Amazon Frontier. Robert R. Schneider. 1995)
However it is not an uncommon confusion: I found "There are 69 places in which there are both a Presbyterian and a Congregational church", which might be justified by the presence of "there are" with an obvious plural immediately before. (The Record of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Volumes 24–25. Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. 1873, page 2)
Note that "both" can be followed by two plurals, so you could have: "There are both frogs and newts living in my garden" but "There is both a frog and a newt living in my garden". (The case where you have one plural and one singular is left as an exercise to the reader.)
Also, more off-topic, but note that in colloquial English it is common to use "there's" even with a plural noun, despite it meaning "there is"; however it is less common to use "there is" with a plural. (Cambridge Dictionaries: British Grammar: There is, there's and there are).
Stuart F
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2Why 'There is both a frog and a newt living in my garden' when no one would use 'A frog and a newt is both living in my garden'? – Edwin Ashworth Apr 04 '23 at 11:11
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Any suggestion for the pronunciation of there're and how it would compare to there or they're? – Henry Apr 04 '23 at 15:44
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I think the church example is a little unclear-- it's correct as shown because "are" is referring to "places". You can say "There are 69 places", or "There is a Presbyterian church", but not "There is 69 places" or "There are a Presbyterian church". – Cooper Apr 04 '23 at 15:53
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@Edwin: It's because the structure is different. (Both a frog and a newt) are living but Both (a frog is living) and (a newt is living) – Ben Voigt Apr 04 '23 at 17:58
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I still don't see that 'There is both or why is there both would be preferable' is supported, when you give examples of both variants. The raw Google data in my first comment (under the question) are at least some evidence of idiomaticity. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 04 '23 at 18:26