[Grammar] Is or are?

[Timoteo]

What is correct to say? Where is Portugal and Spain located, or where are....

 

[SoothingDave]

Are. "Portugal and Spain" are two things. So you need the plural.

 

[Paulys]

I am not a teacher

I think that you need to use "is"

 

[TheParser]

What is correct to say? Where is Portugal and Spain located, or where are....

* A NON-TEACHER"S OPINION *


(1)When you have a question, put the words in "regular" order and then

it will help you decide which form of the verb to use:

(a) Where ___ Portugal and Spain located?

(i) Portugal and Spain ___ located where?

(2) Then use some words for "where": Portugal and Spain ___

located in Europe.

(3) Now do you see which word ("is" or "are") you need to use?

 

[emsr2d2]

Where is Portugal located? + Where is Spain located? = Where are Portugal and Spain located?

 

[5jj]

I am not a teacher. That is apparent.

I think that you need to use "is". That is wrong.

5

 

[Rolex_Cellini]

I am not a teacher. That is apparent.

He was trying to help. You embarrass him publicly. As if it were not already enough, emsr2d2 goes on to thank you your comment. We live in a strange world.

 

[5jj]

He was trying to help. You embarrass him publicly. As if it were not already enough, emsr2d2 goes on to thank you your comment. We live in a strange world.

This is the 'Ask a Teacher' forum. There is a notice at the the top of this page which begins (my emphasis added): "You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language".

When an incorrect answer is given, learners need to be left in no doubt that it is incorrect. My intention was not to humiliate Paulys; he had himself written, in another thread:

I am English student about one years and still I can't talk in English fluently because grammar is too hart for me.

It is not helpful for a person with very limited knowledge to attempt to answer questions in this forum.

 

[Rover_KE]

It is not helpful for a person with very limited knowledge to attempt to answer questions in this forum.

. . . and non-teachers have been asked before to wait longer than three minutes before posting a potentially wrong answer.

Rover

 

[TheParser]

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


Usingenglish.com wants to build a brand, as we Americans say. That is, it

seeks a reputation as a place where international students can be

confident that they are receiving accurate answers.

Perhaps the following options might help in reaching that goal:

(1) Strictly enforce the rule that we non-teachers must START our post

with "NOT A TEACHER." Then learners can simply skip our posts. (I have

noticed that not a few of my fellow non-teachers put the disclaimer at the

end of their posts.) Violation of the rule might bring immediate deletion.

(2) Immediately delete any patently wrong answers. (Along with a courteous

and respectful email to the poster that explains the reason.)

(3) And, of course, the easiest solution: bar us non-teachers from

participating in the "Ask the Teacher" forum.

I agree that no one -- either teacher or non-teacher -- should be

humiliated in public. A teacher can always request (in private) that a

patently wrong answer be deleted, and thread starters can simply skip

someone's post (instead of rudely replying -- as a few thread starters

occasionally do -- "Don't answer my questions.") We non-teachers are not

stupid. If a thread starter does not thank us for our efforts, we realize

that our answers are not appreciated, and we stop answering threads from

certain members.

 

[5jj]

@ TheParser.

You made some interesting suggestions but, as you see, I have reservations about them:

(1) Strictly enforce the rule that we non-teachers must START our post with "NOT A TEACHER." Then learners can simply skip our posts. (I have noticed that not a few of my fellow non-teachers put the disclaimer at the end of their posts.) Violation of the rule might bring immediate deletion.
We get some very good answers from some non-teachers. It would be a shame to lose these if they happened to forget to write in the magic words, or put them in in the wrong place..

(2) Immediately delete any patently wrong answers.
Sometimes wrong answers can lead to useful discussions about why certain things are wrong.

(3) And, of course, the easiest solution: bar us non-teachers from participating in the "Ask the Teacher" forum.
We would lose a lot of good answers if we did that.

 

[Barb_D]

The Parser's suggestions would necessitate that moderators be online 24/7 with an innate sense that something wrong was posted. We would have to then manage the thread and then have to send an email. That's both infeasible and a heck of a lot of work. The self-policing of all members addressing incorrect posts works far better. I myself (a non-teacher, I remind you) made an erroneous post quite recently. My error was pointed out by others with far greater efficincy than a deletion and email.

 

[TheParser]

The Parser's suggestions would necessitate that moderators be online 24/7 with an innate sense that something wrong was posted. We would have to then manage the thread and then have to send an email. That's both infeasible and a heck of a lot of work. The self-policing of all members addressing incorrect posts works far better. I myself (a non-teacher, I remind you) made an erroneous post quite recently. My error was pointed out by others with far greater efficincy than a deletion and email.

NOT A TEACHER


All of us learners consider moderators to be de facto teachers, of course.

 

[5jj]

All of us learners consider moderators to be de facto teachers, of course.

I imagine that most of us (who claim to be) teachers consider Barb's suggestions to be at least as valuable as ours.

This was one of the reasons for my first and third responses (post #11 ) to your suggestions. Also, though I do not share your awe of a certain book published 80 years ago, and I disagree with some of the things you write, I think the forum would be a much poorer place without your ***** NOT A TEACHER ***** contributions.

There is also the point that one of the strengths (or weaknesses, if you are cynic) of this forum is that we rely on trust and honesty. Anybody can call themselves a teacher. I suspect that one or two who do so are interpreting the word rather loosely. It would seem to me to be a little harsh to refuse contributions, no matter how useful, from people who were honest enough to admit that they did not hold a teaching qualification. - quite apart from the fact that many of the questions in this forum are about grammar. A good grammarian need not be a teacher at all; and I have known a few excellent teachers whose theoretical grasp of grammar was a little um, er, - interesting.