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Moon7296 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

singular? plural? (what phrase)

We avoid setting big goals because we know that some obtacles stand in our way. We're likely to say, "I don't have the XX to succeed at this" (insert "time," "skills," "energy," or money"). Therefore they never start, and, of course, they never finish. What appear to block our path are really just opportunities to grow, learn, explore, meet people, and be creatvie.

Q) When I first saw the underlined part, I thought it should be corrected like this: what appears to block our path is ....

Is my correction right, or the original is right?

I've only seen the what seems(appears) to be is pattern. That's why that original sentence is unfamiliar to me.
  

Top answer

The original is correct, though in practice you may see other combinations. "what" can be either singular or plural; in this case, because it refers to plural "opportunities", the author has made the construction plural throughout.

— GPY

  • The original is correct, though in practice you may see other combinations.
  • "what" can be either singular or plural; in this case, because it refers to plural "opportunities", the author has made the construction plural throughout.
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3 Answers
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The original is correct, though in practice you may see other combinations. "what" can be either singular or plural; in this case, because it refers to plural "opportunities", the author has made the construction plural throughout.
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Ah.. ok. There was no answers for hours, so I asked another native speaker and he said "what appears to block out path is...." is the correct one. Are the both structures acceptable?
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moon7296Are the both structures acceptable?
In this case I prefer to make everything match. However, many people would probably use the mixed version.
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