There was a boy and a girl. vs There were a boy and a girl.

The correct phrase is "there was a boy and a girl." This is because the verb "was" should agree with the singular subject "a boy." Using "were" would be incorrect in this context.

Last updated: April 05, 2024 • 602 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"There was a boy and a girl."

This phrase is used to describe the presence of a boy and a girl. The verb "was" agrees with the singular subject "a boy."

Examples:

There was a boy and a girl playing in the park.
There was a boy and a girl standing at the bus stop.
There was a boy and a girl holding hands.
There was a boy and a girl sitting on the bench.
There was a boy and a girl walking down the street.

Show examples from the web [+]

There was a boy and a girl.
There was a boy in our troupe...
There was a boy last summer.
There was a boy. Chester Bonaparte.
There was a boy for you at the door.
There was a boy next to me.
There was a boy on the road.
There was a boy named Harold.
There was a boy who loved to eat chicken and was very much afraid of wolves.
There was a boy named Redwald.
There was a boy in my class called Carrington.
There was a boy with the suit.
There was a boy on the railway line.
There was a boy, barely nine years old.
There was a boy... I am the green fairy.
There was a boy, Nola took him with her.
There was a boy, he lived with the family down the street.
There was a boy at the river, son of Ali Mufeed al-Azza.
There was a boy who fell deeply, passionately in love with a girl.
There was a boy named Peter Pan... who decided not to grow up.
There was a boy's old speckled straw hat on the floor; I took that, too.

This phrase is incorrect in English.

"There were a boy and a girl."

Show examples from the web [+]

There were a boy and a girl.
There were... there were... there were 3 boys and a girl.
Sir. -There were two children at Talagrois, a boy and a girl.
When I was a boy there were these sweets called...
There were two children in Talygroes, a boy and a girl.
When I was a boy, there were these sweets called...
GODFRIED DANNEELS:When I was a boy, I remember that in almost every parish there were the Fathers of the missionary Congregation of Scheut.
By my reckoning, you were a boy when General Custer died and 'tis well known there were no survivors.
I was once a boy, and like all boys...
Hakam was just a boy like any other boy.
Girls and boys meet a boy...
Wish spatiuluiExtraterestrii boy who have invaded earth! Just a boy with his...
Tonight, a boy was killed.
My sister saw a boy recently.
A boy at school almost died today.
But sometimes I - Just be a boy.
Avitus taught Theodoric as a boy.
You were in a boy band.
A boy never forgets his first firearm.
A boy risked death to protest.
A boy was pamphleteering outside the church also.

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There was a boy and a girl. vs There were a boy and a girl.