Noun clause (singular all the time?)Should there be a comma after 'and'?Plural of noun and concept takes singular verb?Difference between an adverb modifying an NP consisting a single noun, and an adverb modifying a nounClause QuestionWhy plural noun and verb in singular form, present tense takes 's'?whatever - Are these all noun clauses?How to determine the number of the noun phrase 'a world of + plural noun'?embedded interrogative Clause when quoting“the only one of + plural noun” = singular or plural verb? (focus on the only)superlative + relative clause
Multi tool use
Can I combine SELECT TOP() with the IN operator?
How can I finally understand the confusing modal verb "мочь"?
What is the thing used to help pouring liquids called?
Lines too long in piece with two sections for different instruments
Why doesn't a particle exert force on itself?
Dual frame in Riemannian metrics.
What detail can Hubble see on Mars?
What does the coin flipping before dying mean?
How to deal with employer who keeps me at work after working hours
As a GM, is it bad form to ask for a moment to think when improvising?
Reverse ColorFunction or ColorData
How is Pauli's exclusion principle still valid in these cases?
Was there a dinosaur-counter in the original Jurassic Park movie?
Which "exotic salt" can lower water's freezing point by –70 °C?
What is more safe for browsing the web: PC or smartphone?
How is trade in services conducted under the WTO in the absence of the Doha conclusion?
Endgame puzzle: How to avoid stalemate and win?
How did the Force make Luke hard to hit in the Battle of Yavin?
Transistor gain, what if there is not enough current?
Given four points how can I find an equation for any pattern?
Playing Doublets with the Primes
How long did it take Captain Marvel to travel to Earth?
Is there a reason why Turkey took the Balkan territories of the Ottoman Empire, instead of Greece or another of the Balkan states?
GitLab account hacked and repo wiped
Noun clause (singular all the time?)
Should there be a comma after 'and'?Plural of noun and concept takes singular verb?Difference between an adverb modifying an NP consisting a single noun, and an adverb modifying a nounClause QuestionWhy plural noun and verb in singular form, present tense takes 's'?whatever - Are these all noun clauses?How to determine the number of the noun phrase 'a world of + plural noun'?embedded interrogative Clause when quoting“the only one of + plural noun” = singular or plural verb? (focus on the only)superlative + relative clause
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I have asked one grammarian about this and she ended up being unsure of her answer.
Question: is there a possibility that a noun clause is used in a plural manner? For instance:
- Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME.
- WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose.
Should the word "scare" be "scares" in the examples?
Should "are" be "is" then?
grammar verb-agreement noun-phrases
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
add a comment |
I have asked one grammarian about this and she ended up being unsure of her answer.
Question: is there a possibility that a noun clause is used in a plural manner? For instance:
- Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME.
- WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose.
Should the word "scare" be "scares" in the examples?
Should "are" be "is" then?
grammar verb-agreement noun-phrases
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57
add a comment |
I have asked one grammarian about this and she ended up being unsure of her answer.
Question: is there a possibility that a noun clause is used in a plural manner? For instance:
- Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME.
- WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose.
Should the word "scare" be "scares" in the examples?
Should "are" be "is" then?
grammar verb-agreement noun-phrases
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
I have asked one grammarian about this and she ended up being unsure of her answer.
Question: is there a possibility that a noun clause is used in a plural manner? For instance:
- Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME.
- WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose.
Should the word "scare" be "scares" in the examples?
Should "are" be "is" then?
grammar verb-agreement noun-phrases
grammar verb-agreement noun-phrases
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
asked Apr 27 at 19:31
Fadli SheikhFadli Sheikh
273
273
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57
add a comment |
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Interesting question :)
I'd say this is an example of a fused relative (see e.g. CaGEL* p 1073); that is, what scares me is not a clause at all, but a noun phrase, where what is a fusion between the head function and the relativised element of a postmodifying relative clause. In this case it could be paraphrased either as that which scares me where that is the head, and which is the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scares me, or as the things which scare me, where the determiner the, the head things and the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scare me have fused.
In answer to your question, then, it could be what scare me are her eyes and nose as well as what scares me is her eyes and nose.
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
add a comment |
It's right as you had it: 'scare' and 'are'. 'Eyes and nose' are three things and require plural verbs. 'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms.
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
|
show 4 more comments
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "97"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f496421%2fnoun-clause-singular-all-the-time%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Interesting question :)
I'd say this is an example of a fused relative (see e.g. CaGEL* p 1073); that is, what scares me is not a clause at all, but a noun phrase, where what is a fusion between the head function and the relativised element of a postmodifying relative clause. In this case it could be paraphrased either as that which scares me where that is the head, and which is the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scares me, or as the things which scare me, where the determiner the, the head things and the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scare me have fused.
In answer to your question, then, it could be what scare me are her eyes and nose as well as what scares me is her eyes and nose.
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
add a comment |
Interesting question :)
I'd say this is an example of a fused relative (see e.g. CaGEL* p 1073); that is, what scares me is not a clause at all, but a noun phrase, where what is a fusion between the head function and the relativised element of a postmodifying relative clause. In this case it could be paraphrased either as that which scares me where that is the head, and which is the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scares me, or as the things which scare me, where the determiner the, the head things and the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scare me have fused.
In answer to your question, then, it could be what scare me are her eyes and nose as well as what scares me is her eyes and nose.
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
add a comment |
Interesting question :)
I'd say this is an example of a fused relative (see e.g. CaGEL* p 1073); that is, what scares me is not a clause at all, but a noun phrase, where what is a fusion between the head function and the relativised element of a postmodifying relative clause. In this case it could be paraphrased either as that which scares me where that is the head, and which is the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scares me, or as the things which scare me, where the determiner the, the head things and the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scare me have fused.
In answer to your question, then, it could be what scare me are her eyes and nose as well as what scares me is her eyes and nose.
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
Interesting question :)
I'd say this is an example of a fused relative (see e.g. CaGEL* p 1073); that is, what scares me is not a clause at all, but a noun phrase, where what is a fusion between the head function and the relativised element of a postmodifying relative clause. In this case it could be paraphrased either as that which scares me where that is the head, and which is the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scares me, or as the things which scare me, where the determiner the, the head things and the relativised subject of the postmodifying relative clause which scare me have fused.
In answer to your question, then, it could be what scare me are her eyes and nose as well as what scares me is her eyes and nose.
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
edited Apr 27 at 22:08
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
answered Apr 27 at 21:18
HannahHannah
348210
348210
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
add a comment |
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
3
3
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
Yeah, it's short for the thing that scares me, or in this case, it could just as easily be the things that scare me. Since this is a commutable verb phrase, Her eyes and nose are what scare(s) me is just as good. And either singular or plural will do for scare(s), since what can mark either number. It depends, in other words, on what you mean.
– John Lawler
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
1
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
@JohnLawler Thank you – that's what I was uncertain about. I'll edit my answer to make it clearer :)
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:59
1
1
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
Well said, Hannah. +1
– BillJ
Apr 28 at 7:15
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
@BillJ Thank you. Means a lot coming from you :)
– Hannah
Apr 28 at 7:20
add a comment |
It's right as you had it: 'scare' and 'are'. 'Eyes and nose' are three things and require plural verbs. 'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms.
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
|
show 4 more comments
It's right as you had it: 'scare' and 'are'. 'Eyes and nose' are three things and require plural verbs. 'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms.
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
|
show 4 more comments
It's right as you had it: 'scare' and 'are'. 'Eyes and nose' are three things and require plural verbs. 'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms.
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
It's right as you had it: 'scare' and 'are'. 'Eyes and nose' are three things and require plural verbs. 'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms.
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
answered Apr 27 at 21:08
Philip WoodPhilip Wood
4556
4556
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
|
show 4 more comments
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
The first part of the first example is correct, yes, but not the rest, right? Is that what you mean? Also, I'm curious about your last sentence there – "'what' doesn't have separate singular and plural forms" – what do you mean by that? Would it be possible to clarify?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:23
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
(a) "Her eyes and nose are WHAT SCARE ME." - "WHAT SCARE ME are her eyes and nose." Both are right. (b) 'What' is always 'what'; it doesn't change form according to whether one object or more than one object is being referred to.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:31
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
Ah, right, now I see what you meant by that last sentence, and of course you're right about that – that it doesn't change its form, I mean. It's always singular. :) I disagree with the rest though – surely it should be Her eyes and nose are what scares me and What scares me is her eyes and nose respectively?
– Hannah
Apr 27 at 21:38
1
1
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
'what' ISN'T singular: 'what' can refer to either singular or plural.In your sentence you can replace "what" by "the things that". I'd like to apologise for an unintentionally patronising tone, by the way.
– Philip Wood
Apr 27 at 21:48
1
1
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
@Hannah- 'what' asks a question, and does not presume to know the quantity beforehand. Although the answer may be singular or plural, we can see by the agreement that it is usually used in a singular way, and we do not ask questions like "*what are in the fridge", "*what fall from the sky", "*what are on TV tonight", even when we expect a plural answer.
– AmI
Apr 28 at 4:01
|
show 4 more comments
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f496421%2fnoun-clause-singular-all-the-time%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
0,miS2sz qhzV zsODHa 2pdPk RFAVen KxIeVRrQzDDBhE mXqe2Z9FX,dGvCqiRNnZXh5r AQoSQuxxNr qx7Q7DN
For plural I would prefer Those which scare me are .... Because "what" is inherently singular.
– aparente001
Apr 28 at 5:57