Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
to repay; to refund; to compensate for a loss; to repay for an expense
defend
resolve
perpetuate
reimburse
full quiz correct answer
Dictionaries   TOEIC   TOEFL   GMAT   SAT   GRE   MCAT   PCAT   ASVAB   Interviews
Tests   Grammar   Articles   Stories   Shop   Services   English for winners   Speaking
Home   Top 100   Start your FREE email English course now!   Audio Lessons   Jobs
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   Album   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

Were or was?



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Expression: would begin | What is the meaning of cliche?
listening exercises • tell a friend
Message
 Author
Were or was? #1 (permalink) Fri Jun 01, 2007 5:57 am   Were or was?		  
Hi,

I'd like to ask of you an extremely abecedarian question, (please don't laugh :D ) which is based on the sentence-
Quote:
What we were impatient to see were those fabulous pictures, especially the color ones.


1. Does 'were' suggest the subject is 'pictures'? If so, why cannot 'what' be its subject?

2. If so, the sentence is equavelent to 'Those fabulous pictures, especially the color ones, were what we were impatient to see.' Then, what is the difference? Just the question of order?

3. Supposing 'what' is its subject, 'was' should be the verb, right?

Thank you!

Haihao
Haihao
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 2471
Location: Japan
was/were #2 (permalink) Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:30 am   was/were		  
Hi Haihao,

To me 'what' suggests those things/objects and so I have a preference for 'were'. Your turnaround sentence (2) says exactly that. Why the word order? Well, putting 'what' first is a device for emphasising that's what we wanted and we didn't want anything else.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 13891
Location: UK
In this story you'll learn how to use the English articlesEnglish grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!Start exploring the English language today! Subscribe to free email English course
Were or was? #3 (permalink) Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:51 am   Were or was?		  
Hi Alan,

You took every piece of doubt away from my uneasy brain again! Thank you! :)

Haihao
Haihao
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 2471
Location: Japan
Display posts from previous:   
Expression: would begin | What is the meaning of cliche?
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums

Start FREE email English course now!
Join more than 100,000 learners!
Expression: everyone knew it except those who soon found it out • 'hit him on the head' vs. 'hit him over the head' • Instruction and direction • Need your help, Alan (Being without friend is certainly sad. However, which...) • Correct use of being perfectly right... • Letter of confirmation • wait (for) 20 minutes • breathe vs breath • simple past vs. past perfect • Is this grammatically correct? -- I am to read a book • He's trying to pinch my secretary... • Neck and Crack • Reported speech (Harry asked me if I HAD met Bill and Maria yet)

 
 You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Provided by phpBB ©2001-2012 phpBB Group
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail