0

I was watching an Instagram video posted by Woody and Kleiny account https://www.instagram.com/p/BqxY4lflIKQ/ and here is a sequence of it:

A: Knock-Knock

B: Who is it?

A: It's the Police

B: What do you want?

A: We just want to talk.

B: How many of you are there?

A: There is two Sir.

B: Talk to each other then.

Question: Why it is right to say there is two, instead of there are two?

Update: I didn't recall it had subtitles. Know I am seeing that was there's.

Improve this question
13
  • 1
    It's a mistake usually made by uneducated people. The cop should have said 'there are two'.
    – Michael Harvey
    Mar 15, 2020 at 16:04
  • 2
    Did A say "There is two" or "There's two"?
    – sumelic
    Mar 15, 2020 at 17:29
  • Did you transcribe this yourself? "Knock-knock" would be the standard spelling.
    – Acccumulation
    Mar 15, 2020 at 17:44
  • 3
    I object strongly to the words mistake and (especially) uneducated.. When people have a non-standard form in their normal speech, it is not a "mistake", and there are no reasonable grounds for concluding that they are "uneducated".
    – Colin Fine
    Mar 15, 2020 at 17:50
  • 2
    Please edit and tell us exactly which film. It is very bad to quote from a source and not to say what the source is. If you can link to the script that is even better. But you must at least cite your source
    – James K
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:02

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

For many people there's is an invariable form, irresepective of whether it is introducing a singular or plural noun phrase.

There is is less common in this context, but you sometimes hear it.

It is non-standard, but quite common.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Dollars to doughnuts, the OP heard "there's" and mistakenly (but understandably) interpreted and transcribed it as 'there is'.
    – fred2
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:05
  • @fred2: I agree that is likely.
    – Colin Fine
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:17
0

That seems to be a "knock, knock" joke, one of a large class. The one you've quoted doesn't seem very funny, but maybe you haven't quoted the entire conversation. As Michael Harvey said in his comment, "There is two" is uneducated usage.

Improve this answer
5
  • I doubt very much that it's a knock-knock joke, though the "police" characters are probably riffing on the idea of a knock-knock joke.
    – Colin Fine
    Mar 15, 2020 at 17:53
  • So, a joke about jokes? Without more of the context, it's hard to tell.
    – Jack O'Flaherty
    Mar 15, 2020 at 18:17
  • I don't think it's a joke at all. It sounds to me like a serious visit, where the speaker chose a flippant opening line ("Knock knock") to break the ice.
    – Colin Fine
    Mar 15, 2020 at 18:26
  • 1
    It's a joke. The punchline is "talk to each other then." (sad trombone)
    – James K
    Mar 15, 2020 at 20:22
  • Yes, it is, @JamesK. But it's not a "knock knock" joke.
    – Colin Fine
    Mar 15, 2020 at 22:41

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .