[Grammar] I am not sure whether you or Richard [are/is] gonna do it.

[kingtrn]

I have 2 subjects connected by "or", what will the form of the followed verb?

> I am not sure whether you or Richard are gonna do it.
> I am not sure whether you are Richard is gonna do it.

Thank you

 

[jutfrank]

> I am not sure whether you or Richard are gonna do it.
> I am not sure whether you or Richard is gonna do it.

It's probably best to avoid that particular phrasing.

If forced, I'd choose are.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

I'm not sure whether it's going to be you or Richard.

 

[Raymott]

I'm not sure whether it's going to be you or Richard.

"I'm not sure whether it's going to be you or Richard who does it."

 

[Tdol]

I'd go for are, but wouldn't complain if people wanted to use the singular.

 

[Rover_KE]

If in doubt, rephrase:

I'm not sure whether you or Richard will do it.

 

[kingtrn]

"I'm not sure whether it's going to be you or Richard who does it."

I think this is the nearest to my original sentence semantically. Thank you all very much. Another thing that I've learned is that English does not have a neat way to reconcile my original situation without rephrasing.

 

[abaka]

"Gonna do it"? If you're going to speak like that, say "is" or "are" or whatever you want.

It's pointless to ask for help.

 

[GoesStation]

OP, "gonna do it" is perfectly fine in spoken English except in the most formal situations. It's incorrect in the written language except in very informal contexts like text messages. Many native speakers find it particularly unpleasant in English written by non-native speakers.

 

[kingtrn]

"Gonna do it"? If you're going to speak like that, say "is" or "are" or whatever you want.

It's pointless to ask for help.

What do you mean by "speak like that"? Is that impolite by saying "gonna"? I'm discussing things with my team mate at work, I've heard a lot of people use it.
To you it's pointless, but to me I just want to learn better grammar, my question will be the same if I replace "gonna" by "are/is going to".

 

[GoesStation]

What do you mean by "speak like that"? Is that impolite by saying "gonna"? I'm discussing things with my team mate at work, I've heard a lot of people use it.
To you it's pointless, but to me I just want to learn better grammar, my question will be the same if I replace "gonna" by "are/is going to".

Gonna is how English speakers usually pronounce the words written "going to" when they're used as auxiliaries. There's absolutely nothing wrong with using "gonna" in speech. It's not impolite or ungrammatical. Learners should avoid it in writing.

In speech, it's fine to say "I'm gonna buy a new bicycle next spring," but you have to say "I'm going to the bike shop."

 

[abaka]

As a learner, don't say "gotta" or "gonna" under any circumstances whatsoever. Forget these slurring contractions exist. They are casual to the point of illiteracy, entirely inappropriate in writing, and when combined with an unavoidable accent sound terrible to native ears. If you choose to use them, be prepared for unnecessary rudeness and the loss of career or business opportunities. I'm sorry to have to say it, but that's just how it is.

The proofreading rule -- probably artificial, but used nevertheless -- is that nominal or-phrases are considered singular or plural depending on the noun, pronoun, or numeral closest to the verb. Therefore,

I am not sure whether you or Richard is going to do it.
I am not sure whether Richard or you are going to do it.

I agree that "are" sounds more natural here. Therefore, if you don't want to rephrase, choose the option with "Richard or you". There is no difference in meaning or emphasis between the two choices.

 

[kingtrn]

Alright, the point of this post is just to discuss the grammar choice for the "to be" verb in this specific situation. Thank you anyway for the "going to" versus "gonna" stuff, surely I won't use it in written English.

 

[GoesStation]

I agree when we are talking about the written form, but /ˈgɑtə/ and /ˈgənə/ are normal and natural in informal spoken British English, even, as John Wells notes in his Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd edn), in informal RP.

I'm quite sure that Prince Charles uses those contractions without a second thought — except, perhaps, when his mum's listening. I don't think he'd say wanna, but I wouldn't be surprised if his kids do, at least among themselves.

 

[abaka]

Alright, the point of this post is just to discuss the grammar choice for the "to be" verb in this specific situation. Thank you anyway for the "going to" versus "gonna" stuff, surely I won't use it in written English.

I've given the strict proofreading rule for is/are above.

It's better to write "all right".