My mother and I

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi guys,

I have my speaking exam of IELTS tomorrow morning, and currently extremely high level stress as such that I forgot what I learned so far.

Anyway, would you be so kind answer me if my sentence correct?

1- My mother and I are living in an apartment with three bed rooms.
2- My mother and I am living in an apartment with three bed rooms.

the second sentence is not familiar to my ears, but I think grammatically is correct.
The verb should follow the nearest subject.

Which one is wrong and why?

Regards,
Amir

2

Hi Swan, I think you have your rules a little mixed up. I think you are thinking of “or” - for “and”, the verb is always plural. So only #1 is correct, although bedroom is a compound noun, so “My mother and I are living in an apartment with three bedrooms.” Good luck with your IELTS - try to relax and not overthink it!

3

You have the rule for “or” correct though:

“When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb. The book or the pen is in the drawer. … When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.”

4

Dear Luschen,

Thank you so much for your care and complete answer.
I got where I made a mistake.
My exam was awesome. I answered all the questions. It was just the speaking test and other 3 skills will be taken on 19th of Aug.

Thanks,
Amir