Sentence:  Then there <WSD>are</WSD> a pair of old biddies played by Grace Carney and Sibly Bowan who may be right off the shelf of stock Irish characters , but they put such a combination of good will and malevolence into their parts that they 're quite entertaining . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  happen, occur, take place; this was during the visit to my parents' house"