Granny and Grammar

We've been away for a couple of days at 5 Year Old's Granny and Grampa's house.

I overhear Granny trying to teach some grammar on one of the mornings.

"There is two toilets at your house," 5 Year Old has observed.

"No, there are," Granny says, which sounds a bit contradictory but of course isn't.

"Are what?" 5 Year Old asks, quite reasonably.

"There are two toilets."

"Huh?"

"When there is one of something, you say 'is'," Granny explains, "and when there are more than one, you say 'are.' There is one sink, but there are two toilets."

"There are two toilets," 5 Year Old repeats. Which all seems quite straightforward. Oh, but hold on...

"There are toilet paper," she goes on.

"No," corrects Granny again, "there is toilet paper."

"But there are more than one bit of toilet paper. So there are toilet paper!"

"But there is only one roll!" Granny explains.

"There are lots of rolls," 5 Year Old quite rightly points out.

"There is one sink," Granny explains patiently, "there are two toilets. And we have some toilet paper!"