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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Odd, though correct?

Does anything here sound grammatically odd?

"Going to his house was what I lived for. There were liquor, music, and a strong desire for my body." (J. L. King, On the Down Low (Broadway Books, 2004)
  

Top answer

p=839 The preference is the singular. "Going to his house was what I lived for. "

— AlpheccaStars

  • p=839 The preference is the singular.
  • "Going to his house was what I lived for.
  • "
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4 Answers
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http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=839

The preference is the singular.

"Going to his house was what I lived for. There was liquor, music, and a strong desire for my body."
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AnonymousDoes anything here sound grammatically odd?
No, but semantically there might be problems for some readers.

I lived for opportunities to go to his house.
I lived for the times when I would go to his house.

Something like the statements above is meant. I lived for going ... is the odd part, I suppose, but I'm
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And what of "There was/were drinks, music, and a strong desire for my body."?
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AnonymousAnd what of "There was/were drinks, music, and a strong desire for my body."?
The rule stated in most sources for a there construction with a list is to make the agreement plural because it is a list OR to make the agreement with the first item in the list.

In this case you'll need the plural (were) on both counts.

CJ
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