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Don Quixote · 10-23-2004, 03:46 PM

I'm more of a lurker than a responder, but I read the forum most days, and I'm a big fan. I'm also a bit of an expert on grammar. Actually, Gord got it right with "All that remains is...". In standard North American English, in a situation like this (subject + verb "to be" + predicate nominative), the subject and the verb agree-- All (in this case singular as in "the only thing that remains") IS, not ARE, the wives and the...,etc., such as in "All is tragedy and heartbreak."
On the other hand, in the Romance languages (I have a Ph.D. in Spanish, and I teach advanced grammar and composition classes), the tendency is to make the verb agree with the predicate nominative, so that in Spanish we'd say "Todo lo que queda SON (plural, not ES) las esposas, y los hijos y las hijas.". Hope this clears that up.
BYW, Gordon's grammar is usually just fine although, as we all do, he occasionally slips up, such as in "Cobwebs and Dust," where he sings "Whom shall it be"; the verb "to be" always takes nominative, or subject, pronouns ("Who shall it be")--not a big deal, of course.

10-23-2004, 03:46 PM	#12
Don Quixote Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Springfield, MA 01109 Posts: 309	I'm more of a lurker than a responder, but I read the forum most days, and I'm a big fan. I'm also a bit of an expert on grammar. Actually, Gord got it right with "All that remains is...". In standard North American English, in a situation like this (subject + verb "to be" + predicate nominative), the subject and the verb agree-- All (in this case singular as in "the only thing that remains") IS, not ARE, the wives and the...,etc., such as in "All is tragedy and heartbreak." On the other hand, in the Romance languages (I have a Ph.D. in Spanish, and I teach advanced grammar and composition classes), the tendency is to make the verb agree with the predicate nominative, so that in Spanish we'd say "Todo lo que queda SON (plural, not ES) las esposas, y los hijos y las hijas.". Hope this clears that up. BYW, Gordon's grammar is usually just fine although, as we all do, he occasionally slips up, such as in "Cobwebs and Dust," where he sings "Whom shall it be"; the verb "to be" always takes nominative, or subject, pronouns ("Who shall it be")--not a big deal, of course.