Dear sir,
I am in a sad plight. Once I had raised one question which is,
Bread and Butter “is” delicious.
Butter and Milk “is” delicious. Here in India We are being taught “is” is correct.
this Once I had raised the question to the forum and I got the answer “are” is the correct.
The thing is here in one private institute, I am teaching Spoken English for the little children. Today I taught my students, Butter and Milk “are” delicious. Somehow Management knew this and scolded me left and right. They told me “is” is the correct and “are” is the wrong. I have been asked the explanation for this, otherwise I may lose my job. Sir, kindly give me a prolonged answer for this.
Thank you.
***** A NON-TEACHER's OPINION *****
(1) I am so sad to hear that your job is in danger, for I am sure
that you are an excellent and hard-working teacher.
(2) I have checked my books and I am delighted to give you some
information that you might use when you speak with the principal/
headmaster. (Be sure to mention the name of the book. Maybe s/he
will be impressed if you name an authority.)
(3) From:
Longman English Grammar by Mr. L.G. Alexander. (I understand
that this gentleman was highly respected in many countries). Page 49 of
my 1988 edition says that, yes, "is" is often used for things that go
together:
bacon and eggs/ cheese and wine/ fish and chips/ lemon and oil/ tripe and onions, etc.
Tell the principal that you understand that such combinations require
"is" because they refer to a popular combination. Then tell him/her that
Mr. Alexander says that the "correct" verb can sometimes depend on
what the speaker is
thinking. Mr. Alexander says we usually say:
Fish and chips
is a popular meal in Britain.
BUT if you think of those items as
"separate," then a plural verb is
fine: Fish and chips
make a good meal.
Explain to the principal that you said "Bread and milk
are delicious" because
you were thinking of them as separate items. Maybe you were
thinking of a sentence such as:
Bread and milk are delicious, but they should not be eaten in
very large quantities.
Tell the principal that,
of course, you know that if the children
receive a meal of bread and milk every day, then you would
use "is": The children say that bread and milk every day
is such
a boring dish/meal.
Of course, the principal does not know what you are thinking, so
maybe he will say, "Oh, I am sorry. You are an excellent teacher."
(4) Also give him this example:
(a) Her loyalty and patriotism
was unparalleled in the history of
her people./ Her loyalty and [her] patriotism
were unparalleled in the
history of her people.
(i) Those sentences come from
Perrin's Index to English (Sixth edition,
p. 25). That book says the writer of the first sentence thinks of
loyalty and patriotism as a
unit; the second writer thinks of loyalty and
patriotism as
separate things. (Tell the principal -- again -- that you
used "are" because you were thinking of "bread" and "milk" as separate
things. Tell the principal that you,
of course, know that "is" is used
when referring to a popular combination. For example: apple pie and
and cheese is my favorite dessert. Tell the principal that
you,
of course, know that the singular verb
is used when you are thinking of something as a
unit. For example,
Mr. Michael Swan's
Practical English Usage (1995) says a singular
verb is used when "
two nouns are used together so often that
we think of them as a single unit." His example:
"This gin and tonic is not very strong, is it?"
Repeat (again) to the principal that:
(a) You said "Bread and milk
are" because you did not think that those
two things go together so often.
(b) You will be happy to teach the children "bread and milk is"
if the school considers those two things as a unit. That is, two
items that are served together every day as a meal.
(c) You want to be the best teacher possible, and that if two
items are considered separate items, then "are" is the correct
verb to teach the children.
(5) Please let us know what your principal said. I hope that you will be
able to teach there for as long as you wish.
Respectfully yours,
James
