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The orange is selected if and only if the apple or grape is/are selected.

May I ask whether using is or are is correct in the above sentence?

william007
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1 Answers1

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An "apple or grape" is only one thing, so you would use is here. If the list is mixed, you would use the plural: "if apples or a grape are selected" is correct. (Note also that it's necessary to use the a here, since we're mixing singular and plural list members.) Also, "if an apple and grape are selected" is correct.

BobRodes
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    With reference(s), I think this answer will be perfect. – holydragon Sep 20 '18 at 07:53
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    @holydragon Most of my answers come off the top of my head from what I use as a native English speaker, rather than what I have looked up in a reference. So, if references are a criterion for a perfect answer, I will cheerfully admit that helpfulness, not perfection, is the goal of my answers. :) – BobRodes Sep 21 '18 at 16:39
  • @BobRodes Wouldn't this depend on mutual exclusivity? If A and B are not mutually exclusive, "A or B" would mean "A", "B", or "A and B". In this case, shouldn't we say, "A or B are"? However, if A and B are mutually exclusive, I would say "either A or B is". I think people often say "A or B" when they actually mean "either A or B". This is colloquially acceptable, but may be technically incorrect. – user1992705 Feb 23 '21 at 23:41
  • @user1992705 I don't think it does. I think colloquially people use "or" in the sense of logical XOR rather than logical OR, in other words or in the sense that excludes and. If I say that someone took an apple or a grape, I don't mean that he took both. If he took both, he took an apple and a grape. Can you give me an example of a sentence where "or" refers to logical OR and uses the plural? I can't think.of one, and your "A or B are" sounds strange to me. – BobRodes Feb 24 '21 at 23:48