"There always come/comes a point"

Question

Which is correct?

There always come a point...

There always comes a point...

Would there be better ways to write this?

Answer 1

The following are correct uses of there:

There is a dog.

There are several dogs.

In the first, a dog is singular, so the corresponding verb is also singular -- "is". In the second several dogs is plural, so the corresponding verb is also plural -- "are".

The verb needs to agree with the subject that comes after it (in your example, "a point"), so the sentence is:

There always comes a point...

Answer 2

Each sentence needs to have "subject-verb agreement". :

The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.

So, taking the "NOTE", let's identify what number your subject is. "There" is an unusual word, and it's purpose here is specifically:

(used to introduce a sentence or clause in which the verb comes before its subject or has no complement): There is no hope.

Thus, in a sentence where the verb comes before the subject, "there" is used. This is obviously the case with your example sentence, "There always comes a point". The subject in your sentence is "point", but as the verb is placed before the subject, "there" has been used.

As "a point" is singular, the verb needs to be singular, according to "subject-verb agreement", and so, the singular verb is "comes", with an 's', not "come".

Therefore, summing it all up, it would be:

There always comes a point...