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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

"Was" vs. "Were"

My apologies. This might seem like a ridiculously basic question, but it is stumping me:

In the following sentence, should "was" be "were"?

"Another curious thing was the outlines of all the shapes in view."

Thank you in advance for your help!
  

Top answer

The subject of the sentence is 'thing'; therefore, the verb is singular ('was'). The plural predicate noun 'outlines' is a common problem in this sort of sentence, and if it makes you uncomfortable, then re-cast in some way: Another curious thing was the outline of each shape in view.

— Mister Micawber

  • The subject of the sentence is 'thing'; therefore, the verb is singular ('was').
  • The plural predicate noun 'outlines' is a common problem in this sort of sentence, and if it makes you uncomfortable, then re-cast in some way: Another curious thing was the outline of each shape in view.
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2 Answers
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The subject of the sentence is 'thing'; therefore, the verb is singular ('was'). The plural predicate noun 'outlines' is a common problem in this sort of sentence, and if it makes you uncomfortable, then re-cast in some way:

Another curious thing was the outline of each shape in view.
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Thank you very much for such a clear and thoughtful reply!
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