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Myid Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Was or were
In following paragraph,which I quoted from the book, "Principles of economics", I think the verb in "that was the main" should be were not was.
Am I right?
The energy crisis of the 1970s, too, was blamed on nature's supply of oil, but in fact it was the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, combined with price controls, that was the main cause of the shortages.
Am I right?
The energy crisis of the 1970s, too, was blamed on nature's supply of oil, but in fact it was the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, combined with price controls, that was the main cause of the shortages.
Top answer
myid In following paragraph,which I quoted from the book, "Principles of economics", I think the verb in "that was the main" should be were not was. Am I right? The energy crisis of the 1970s, too, was blamed on nature's supply of oil, but in fact it was the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, combined with price controls, that was the main cause of the shortages.
- myid In following paragraph,which I quoted from the book, "Principles of economics", I think the verb in "that was the main" should be were not was.
- Am I right?
- The energy crisis of the 1970s, too, was blamed on nature's supply of oil, but in fact it was the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, combined with price controls, that was the main cause of the shortages.
- Dear myid, At first sight, it seems perfectly logical to write 'it were' – after all, the word 'actions' is indeed plural.
- However, the personal pronoun 'it', in English, always takes a singular verb, also when a plural noun follows – which is the case here.
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4 Answers
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myidIn following paragraph,which I quoted from the book, "Principles of economics", I think the verb in "that was the main" should be were not was.
Am I right?
The energy crisis of the 1970s, too, was blamed on nature's supply of oil, but in fact it was the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, combined with price controls, that w
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...in fact it was the actions of the Organization...
Here, the verb "was" is correct.
..., that was the main cause of the shortages.
But here, the verb was should be were.
I presume it is a It cleft sentences emphasizing "the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries."
The original sentence could be rephrased as follows.
The actions of the Or
Here, the verb "was" is correct.
..., that was the main cause of the shortages.
But here, the verb was should be were.
I presume it is a It cleft sentences emphasizing "the actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries."
The original sentence could be rephrased as follows.
The actions of the Or
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Okay, I see your point. I didn't read your text as carefully as I should have. I guess you maybe right here. Perhaps a teacher can provide a proper explanation for this.
Regards
dokterjokkebrok
Regards
dokterjokkebrok
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May I give my humble opinion? I agree with Myid. The relevant sentence is "It was the ACTIONS (of the Organization) that (a relative pronoun that refers to "actions") were the cause." In other words: (1) It was the actions of the Organization and (2) The actions of the Organization were the cause. Let's see what others think. Sincerely, James
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