many a boy and girl is/are

[joham]

Many a boy and girl is pleased with a trifle of money.
How to earn money is what many a boy and girl are asking this season, and to the question the Farm Journal has an answer : ...

Are both the singular and plural form of the verb fine after the phrase 'Many a boy and girl'?

Thank you in advance.

 

[SoothingDave]

Many are.

 

[blackdie]

Many + a + Singular noun + IS

This is a pattern

 

[5jj]

"Grammatical concord is usually obeyed for [....] many a athough it may conflict with notional concord:

Many a member has protested against the proposal."

Quirk, Randolph, Greenbaum, Sidney, Leech, Geoffrey and Svartik, Jan (1985.758) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, London: Longman

 

[TheParser]

Are both the singular and plural form of the verb fine after the phrase 'Many a boy and girl'?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) 5jj has referenced Professor Quirk's famous book. According to him (page 959),

there is "uncertainty" where the construction is followed by "singular heads

conjoined by and."

(a) Professor Quirk gives this example:

Many a boy and girl ?are/?is left homeless. [My note: Many a boy and many a girl ARE ....]

(2) Thus, I agree with Soothing Dave: "Are" sounds more natural in your sentence.

P.S. Maybe (maybe): "Many a boy or girl is left homeless."

 

[5jj]

(1) 5jj has referenced Professor Quirk's famous book. According to him (page 959), there is "uncertainty" where the construction is followed by "singular heads conjoined by and."

(a) Professor Quirk gives this example:

Many a boy and girl ?are/?is left homeless. [My note: Many a boy and many a girl ARE ....]

Well spotted, Parser. I found page 758, but didn't notice page 959.

 

[Kiwi watcher]

A boy or a girl ,,, no confusion then whether it remains singular or plural .

 

[5jj]

A boy or a girl ,,, no confusion then whether it remains singular or plural .

We noted four months ago that both forms are possible.

 

[emsr2d2]

A boy or a girl ,,, no confusion then whether it remains singular or plural .

Please use correct punctuation. We don't put a space before a full stop or a comma. There is no need to ever use three commas in a row.