“here and there was a tent” VS “here and there were tents”












7
















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







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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
    Dec 6 '18 at 13:19


















7
















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







share|improve this question


















  • 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
    Dec 6 '18 at 13:19
















7












7








7


1







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







share|improve this question















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






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked Dec 6 '18 at 11:02









dandan

5,06622675




5,06622675








  • 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
    Dec 6 '18 at 13:19
















  • 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
    Dec 6 '18 at 13:19










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
Dec 6 '18 at 13:19







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
Dec 6 '18 at 13:19












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















11















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.






share|improve this answer





















  • 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
    Dec 6 '18 at 22:46



















4














"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.






share|improve this answer
























  • 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
    Dec 6 '18 at 20:58



















1














@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 magical tents scattered around the campgrounds, some of which may be alone and some of which may be in groups (i.e. multiple cases of single magical tents and/or 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).






share|improve this answer

























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    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    11















    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.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 22:46
















    11















    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.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 22:46














    11












    11








    11








    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.






    share|improve this answer
















    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.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Dec 6 '18 at 15:52









    J.R.♦

    98.6k8127244




    98.6k8127244










    answered Dec 6 '18 at 12:27









    WendyGWendyG

    1,152411




    1,152411








    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 22:46














    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 22:46








    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
    Dec 6 '18 at 22:46





    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
    Dec 6 '18 at 22:46













    4














    "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.






    share|improve this answer
























    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 20:58
















    4














    "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.






    share|improve this answer
























    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 20:58














    4












    4








    4







    "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.






    share|improve this answer













    "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.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Dec 6 '18 at 19:21









    Cort AmmonCort Ammon

    2,025510




    2,025510













    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 20:58



















    • 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
      Dec 6 '18 at 20:58

















    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
    Dec 6 '18 at 20:58





    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
    Dec 6 '18 at 20:58











    1














    @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 magical tents scattered around the campgrounds, some of which may be alone and some of which may be in groups (i.e. multiple cases of single magical tents and/or 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).






    share|improve this answer






























      1














      @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 magical tents scattered around the campgrounds, some of which may be alone and some of which may be in groups (i.e. multiple cases of single magical tents and/or 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).






      share|improve this answer




























        1












        1








        1







        @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 magical tents scattered around the campgrounds, some of which may be alone and some of which may be in groups (i.e. multiple cases of single magical tents and/or 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).






        share|improve this answer















        @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 magical tents scattered around the campgrounds, some of which may be alone and some of which may be in groups (i.e. multiple cases of single magical tents and/or 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).







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Dec 10 '18 at 21:05









        David Richerby

        6,8851740




        6,8851740










        answered Dec 6 '18 at 16:24









        John TJohn T

        1113




        1113






























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