[Grammar] Which of the following sentences are grammatically correct?

[thincat]

Hi,

I feel really confused about the correctness of the two groups of sentences below. Are they grammatically correct?

Group A:
1. The first, second, and fourth box is green in colour.
2. The first, second, and fourth boxes are green in colour.

Group B:
1. There are green and red apples in the box.
2. There are a green and a red apple in the box.
3. There are a green and red apple in the box.
4. There is a green and a red apple in the box.
5. There is a green and red apple in the box.

Thank you very much!

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,

I feel really confused about the correctness of the two groups of sentences below. Are they grammatically correct?

Group A:
1. The first, second, and fourth box is green in colour.
2. The first, second, and fourth boxes are green in colour.


Thank you very much!

It gets very confusing when there is more than one question in a thread so I am going to deal with the Group A question only. I suggest you start another thread with the Group B question.

For Group A: how many boxes are spoken about in total? Is that number singular or plural?

 

[thincat]

If there are three boxes, the sentence in "full form" will be "The first box, second box, and fourth box are green in colour."
I wonder if I omit the word "box" to make the sentence more concise, what should the sentence look like?
"The first, second, and fourth boxes are green in colour."?
or "The first, second, and fourth box is green in colour" ?

Thanks!

 

[Rover_KE]

Why do you think omitting the word 'box' should affect the total number of boxes?

There are still three of them.

 

[emsr2d2]

Forget the numbers for a moment.

There are four boxes. One is green, one is blue, one is yellow and one is red. The yellow one is square. The other three are rectangular.

The yellow box is square.
The green box, the blue box and the yellow box are square.
The green, blue and yellow ________ _______ square.

If I said "The green, blue and yellow box ...", how many boxes would you think I was talking about? And what colour?

 

[thincat]

Forget the numbers for a moment.

There are four boxes. One is green, one is blue, one is yellow and one is red. The yellow one is square. The other three are rectangular.

The yellow box is square.
The green box, the blue box and the yellow box are square.
The green, blue and yellow ________ _______ square.

If I said "The green, blue and yellow box ...", how many boxes would you think I was talking about? And what colour?

I see what you mean. Because there are still three boxes, I should add "plural -s" and use "are" to make it "The green, blue and yellow boxes are square."
I guess it is also not acceptable in English to simply delete the two "box"s and make the sentence "The green, blue and yellow box are square."
Am I right?

Thank you!

 

[bhaisahab]

I see what you mean. Because there are still three boxes, I should add "plural -s" and use "are" to make it "The green, blue and yellow boxes are square."
I guess it is also not acceptable in English to simply delete the two "box"s and make the sentence "The green, blue and yellow box are square."
Am I right?

Thank you!

"The green, blue and yellow box are square." This, as you suggest, is incorrect.