“here and there was a tent” VS “here and there were tents”
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. ...
I found "here and there was a tent..." interesting. Apparently, there were many tents mentioned in this context, so I'm wondering why it didn't put "here and there were tents..." instead?
singular-vs-plural
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
add a comment |
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. ...
I found "here and there was a tent..." interesting. Apparently, there were many tents mentioned in this context, so I'm wondering why it didn't put "here and there were tents..." instead?
singular-vs-plural
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
2
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. ...
I found "here and there was a tent..." interesting. Apparently, there were many tents mentioned in this context, so I'm wondering why it didn't put "here and there were tents..." instead?
singular-vs-plural
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. ...
I found "here and there was a tent..." interesting. Apparently, there were many tents mentioned in this context, so I'm wondering why it didn't put "here and there were tents..." instead?
singular-vs-plural
singular-vs-plural
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
asked yesterday
dan
3,95722462
3,95722462
2
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday
add a comment |
2
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday
2
2
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
here and there was a tent
vs
here and there were tents
The difference is in plurality, the first one says that there were single tents dotted about, but your sentence is not that precise. In your wording, there could be any number of tents in a patch – it could be one or it could be five.
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"Here and there were tents" would be the typical phrasing. That is a phrase which indicates that there are many tents, though there is typically no visible structure to them. That can be contrasted with "a long row of tents" which has a very clear row-like structure. Those phrases together would show a well ordered group of tends (in a row), of which some portion are "obviously magical," but there's no particular rhyme or reason to it.
Rowling's choice of "Here and there was a tent" is a more atypical phrasing. She is using an unusual construction which gives more of an impression of isolation. The magical tents are kind of independent, each one standing on its own.
I would read into her words as an explanation for why Mr. Roberts is merely suspicious. In his mind, each of these "obviously magical" tents is an isolated thing, and he hasn't yet connected the dots. He hasn't linked together all the information he's observing about each tent to come to a conclusion that the tents, as a whole, were magical. If she had used the more typical phrase, "Here and there were tents..." that would give more of the impression that the dots are indeed being connected.
Personally, I would almost always use the more typical plural sentence. However, a writer often understands the subtle effects word choice has. In this case, Rowling chose the singular.
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
@WendyG is correct; however, to me, it's a bit more clear if you reorder the sentence a bit:
There were tents here and there
In this case, there are patches of magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of multiple magical tents grouped together).
v.s.
There was a tent here and there
In this case, there are single magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of a single magical tent).
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
here and there was a tent
vs
here and there were tents
The difference is in plurality, the first one says that there were single tents dotted about, but your sentence is not that precise. In your wording, there could be any number of tents in a patch – it could be one or it could be five.
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
here and there was a tent
vs
here and there were tents
The difference is in plurality, the first one says that there were single tents dotted about, but your sentence is not that precise. In your wording, there could be any number of tents in a patch – it could be one or it could be five.
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
up vote
11
down vote
accepted
here and there was a tent
vs
here and there were tents
The difference is in plurality, the first one says that there were single tents dotted about, but your sentence is not that precise. In your wording, there could be any number of tents in a patch – it could be one or it could be five.
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
here and there was a tent
vs
here and there were tents
The difference is in plurality, the first one says that there were single tents dotted about, but your sentence is not that precise. In your wording, there could be any number of tents in a patch – it could be one or it could be five.
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
edited yesterday
J.R.♦
97.1k8126242
97.1k8126242
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
answered yesterday
WendyG
855310
855310
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
add a comment |
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
1
1
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
The first one says there were parts of a single tent here and over there. And IMO (low scoring nGram) there should be a second there after "there". Or before: There were tents here and there.
– Mazura
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"Here and there were tents" would be the typical phrasing. That is a phrase which indicates that there are many tents, though there is typically no visible structure to them. That can be contrasted with "a long row of tents" which has a very clear row-like structure. Those phrases together would show a well ordered group of tends (in a row), of which some portion are "obviously magical," but there's no particular rhyme or reason to it.
Rowling's choice of "Here and there was a tent" is a more atypical phrasing. She is using an unusual construction which gives more of an impression of isolation. The magical tents are kind of independent, each one standing on its own.
I would read into her words as an explanation for why Mr. Roberts is merely suspicious. In his mind, each of these "obviously magical" tents is an isolated thing, and he hasn't yet connected the dots. He hasn't linked together all the information he's observing about each tent to come to a conclusion that the tents, as a whole, were magical. If she had used the more typical phrase, "Here and there were tents..." that would give more of the impression that the dots are indeed being connected.
Personally, I would almost always use the more typical plural sentence. However, a writer often understands the subtle effects word choice has. In this case, Rowling chose the singular.
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"Here and there were tents" would be the typical phrasing. That is a phrase which indicates that there are many tents, though there is typically no visible structure to them. That can be contrasted with "a long row of tents" which has a very clear row-like structure. Those phrases together would show a well ordered group of tends (in a row), of which some portion are "obviously magical," but there's no particular rhyme or reason to it.
Rowling's choice of "Here and there was a tent" is a more atypical phrasing. She is using an unusual construction which gives more of an impression of isolation. The magical tents are kind of independent, each one standing on its own.
I would read into her words as an explanation for why Mr. Roberts is merely suspicious. In his mind, each of these "obviously magical" tents is an isolated thing, and he hasn't yet connected the dots. He hasn't linked together all the information he's observing about each tent to come to a conclusion that the tents, as a whole, were magical. If she had used the more typical phrase, "Here and there were tents..." that would give more of the impression that the dots are indeed being connected.
Personally, I would almost always use the more typical plural sentence. However, a writer often understands the subtle effects word choice has. In this case, Rowling chose the singular.
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
"Here and there were tents" would be the typical phrasing. That is a phrase which indicates that there are many tents, though there is typically no visible structure to them. That can be contrasted with "a long row of tents" which has a very clear row-like structure. Those phrases together would show a well ordered group of tends (in a row), of which some portion are "obviously magical," but there's no particular rhyme or reason to it.
Rowling's choice of "Here and there was a tent" is a more atypical phrasing. She is using an unusual construction which gives more of an impression of isolation. The magical tents are kind of independent, each one standing on its own.
I would read into her words as an explanation for why Mr. Roberts is merely suspicious. In his mind, each of these "obviously magical" tents is an isolated thing, and he hasn't yet connected the dots. He hasn't linked together all the information he's observing about each tent to come to a conclusion that the tents, as a whole, were magical. If she had used the more typical phrase, "Here and there were tents..." that would give more of the impression that the dots are indeed being connected.
Personally, I would almost always use the more typical plural sentence. However, a writer often understands the subtle effects word choice has. In this case, Rowling chose the singular.
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
"Here and there were tents" would be the typical phrasing. That is a phrase which indicates that there are many tents, though there is typically no visible structure to them. That can be contrasted with "a long row of tents" which has a very clear row-like structure. Those phrases together would show a well ordered group of tends (in a row), of which some portion are "obviously magical," but there's no particular rhyme or reason to it.
Rowling's choice of "Here and there was a tent" is a more atypical phrasing. She is using an unusual construction which gives more of an impression of isolation. The magical tents are kind of independent, each one standing on its own.
I would read into her words as an explanation for why Mr. Roberts is merely suspicious. In his mind, each of these "obviously magical" tents is an isolated thing, and he hasn't yet connected the dots. He hasn't linked together all the information he's observing about each tent to come to a conclusion that the tents, as a whole, were magical. If she had used the more typical phrase, "Here and there were tents..." that would give more of the impression that the dots are indeed being connected.
Personally, I would almost always use the more typical plural sentence. However, a writer often understands the subtle effects word choice has. In this case, Rowling chose the singular.
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
answered yesterday
Cort Ammon
2,015510
2,015510
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
add a comment |
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
Your 2nd paragraph is spot on, I was going to give my own answer, but I think yours is good, as it really points out what Rowling was trying to convey.
– Glen Yates
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
@WendyG is correct; however, to me, it's a bit more clear if you reorder the sentence a bit:
There were tents here and there
In this case, there are patches of magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of multiple magical tents grouped together).
v.s.
There was a tent here and there
In this case, there are single magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of a single magical tent).
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
@WendyG is correct; however, to me, it's a bit more clear if you reorder the sentence a bit:
There were tents here and there
In this case, there are patches of magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of multiple magical tents grouped together).
v.s.
There was a tent here and there
In this case, there are single magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of a single magical tent).
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
@WendyG is correct; however, to me, it's a bit more clear if you reorder the sentence a bit:
There were tents here and there
In this case, there are patches of magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of multiple magical tents grouped together).
v.s.
There was a tent here and there
In this case, there are single magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of a single magical tent).
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
@WendyG is correct; however, to me, it's a bit more clear if you reorder the sentence a bit:
There were tents here and there
In this case, there are patches of magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of multiple magical tents grouped together).
v.s.
There was a tent here and there
In this case, there are single magical tents scattered around the campgrounds (i.e. multiple cases of a single magical tent).
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered yesterday
John T
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered yesterday
John T
1113
answered yesterday
John T
1113
1113
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
John T is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
add a comment |
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
1
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
I disagree that "there were tents here and there" suggests that the tents are necessarily in groups. It allows the possibility of them being in groups but, to me, it would be entirely legitimate to say "there were tents here and there" to describe scattered single tents, too.
– David Richerby
yesterday
add a comment |
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2
Either would work really - "here and there were tents so obviously magical..." vs "here and there was a tent so obviously magical...". There's only a subtle difference (as others have stated) in the plurality - though really it's just nitpicking since you could interpret in various ways.
– Charleh
yesterday