Dear KR, proofreader:

You wrote:
> Please indicate the correct answer (and explanation)
> for each of the two sentences below. I appreciate your
> help.
>
> (1) Twelve cylinders in a car are no better than four if
> there _is_/_are_ no spark from the battery and no gas
> in the tank.
>
> (2) These were strange people in the sense they just
> sort of adapted and became friends with
> _whoever_/_whomever_ was in control.
>
You picked good ones. I have seen both go either way.

1. I believe “there is” is preferred for #1 since both parts of the subject are singular and because of the modifier “no” it is not a regular compound subject. We would still use “is” if they were written in the normal
subject-verb order: “No spark from the battery and no gas in the tank is useless for any size engine” or “No spark and no gas means no power.”

2. I believe “whoever” is preferred for #2. The case of the word in the clause trumps the case of the word in the whole sentence. In the clause, “whoever/whomever” is the subject, so go with “whoever.” See our page on Pronoun Case for some examples.