ONE RULE A DAY: DOUBLE-TITLE CONCORD

English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)

ONE RULE A DAY: DOUBLE-TITLE CONCORD

The Director of the Centre and renowned professor of Literature ~are~ in our midst (nonstandard).
The Director of the Centre and renowned professor of Literature is in our midst (standard).

The Director of the Centre and the renowned professor of Literature ~is~ in our midst (nonstandard).
The Director of the Centre and the renowned professor of Literature are in our midst (standard).

When two nouns or titles refer to just a person, the verb should be singular. Such is the case when the second noun does not attract any determiner such as articles as seen in the first standard sentence. When both nouns attract determiners or adjectives, that means they refer to different entities and the verb should be plural.
GAB