Subject-Verb agreement with compound subjects

[Carol]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
<gbannister10 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, Lee Kaiwen <leekaiwen@> wrote:
> 
> > CJ, ever the populist, who thinks the only relevant English 
> > "authorities" are the people who speak it.
> 
> 
> Geoff:
> Hear, hear. Well said, sir!
> 
> The only problem now is that someone will start a discussion 
> on whether the only relevant English  "authorities" are those 
> who speak  UK English or US English.
> :-(
>
Carol responds:

FWIW, the whole concept of standard English is not based on
"correctess" (prescriptive grammar) but an agreed upon set of
conventions, similar to those for spelling (which, of course, varies
somewhat depending on whether you're British or American) whose
purpose is to make communication easier. (If you've ever tried to read
letters written in Early Modern English, which had conventions of
courtesy but not of spelling, you'll appreciate those conventions.) If
not for the conventions of standard English, we would all be using our
own spelling and grammar (which, alas, appears to be the case among
many young Americans today who have not been taught grammar (standard
usage), spelling, punctuation, or even penmanship. Standard English
also eliminates regional variations that could confuse readers and
speakers not familiar with a particular dialect. There's a reason why
most newscasters in the UK use "received pronunciation" and most in
the US use "general American." Not only are they readily understood,
but they're easier on the ear and more socially acceptable than
dialects such as cockney or accents such as (well, I'm afraid of
offending some of my fellow Americans by specifying accents which hurt
my ears, but I remember as a child thinking that certain NYC accents
sounded barbaric and foreign--please don't throw figurative barbs at
me if you're from Brooklyn!).

I'm beginning to think that certain posters regard the teaching of
English as a waste of time and that students need not be taught to
distinguish between "his" and "their" or even between "their,"
"they're" and "there" or "you're" and "your" or "it's" and "its" or
even "waist" and "waste."

In any case, here's a good definition of standard (written) English
from English.com:

"Standard English, also known as Standard Written English or SWE, is
the form of English most widely accepted as being clear and proper.

"Publishers, writers, educators, and others have over the years
developed a consensus of what standard English consists of. It
includes word choice, word order, punctuation, and spelling.

"Standard English is especially helpful when writing because it
maintains a fairly uniform standard of communication which can be
understood by all speakers and users of English regardless of
differences in dialect, pronunciation, and usage. This is why it is
sometimes called Standard Written English.

"There are a few minor differences between standard usage in England
and the United States, but these differences do not significantly
affect communication in the English language." 

Carol, who can think of no better way of determining a standard than a
consensus of the informed and educated