/lit/ - Literature

>the neighbours were a pair of fuckable girls
Id say were

Were, m8, subject is plural, doesn't matter that the object isn't.

The first one.

What are you, retarded?

was

>>9013078
>>9013072
>>9013064
that's what I thought, but I'm reading some random biography of Marshall McLuhan that I got at the library, and it uses "was"

I guess even illiterate people can write/edit books now.

>>9013053
>>9013086
Under the strict prescriptivism of >>9013064 and >>9013072 'were' is correct.

A counter-argument can be made by offering the plural number subject as a set. Compare:

"Twenty dollars is a lot of money."
versus
"Twenty dollars are a lot of money."

So, if the intention is to nudge the reader to think of "the twenties" as a discrete unit of time, then 'was' is also nice and will suffice.

>>9013053
were you lived it

was you didn't live it

>>9013053
Either is acceptable.

This is a difference in British/International and American English.

> the government were told about the law
American
> the government was told about the law
British/International

>The 1920s ____ a decade of relative prosperity

Were/was?

>the period of time were an exciting time
?????

>>9013154
You can singularise any plural like that

>If a stranger knocks on your door, tell him to leave
>If a stranger knocks on your door, tell them to leave
Well?

>>9013147
Either.

>>9013154
> The years 1920-1929 were an exciting time
> The period 1920-1929 was an exciting time

>>9013173
'Him' or 'her'.

'Them' is third person plural.

>>9013173
First is fine unless you're in earshot of a strong womyn.

Second is fine and common where I live but would be frowned upon in some parts of the world.

>>9013191
We had a whole thread of autism for is one, we don't need it again.

>>9013191
scoff

>>9013154
>>9013174
OP sentence's "The Twenties" are clearly conceived as one entity that described ONE particular historical period, now each year within it. The subject describes a whole, not a group of many

>>9013181
>>9013187
I know it's a very popular SJW thing to use such examples to justify their retarded pronouns, but on a logical level, I feel like "them" makes more sense. "A stranger" clearly means a large number of potential strangers, and saying "him" randomly designates them as males only

>>9013191

scarf

>>9013053
Will be

>>9013107
As an American, I hear the latter almost exclusively. I'm sure there are people who would say "were," but "was" is much more common in that sentence.

>>9013170
You can pluralise any singular, durr.

>>9013053
Both are correct

>>9013053
>thems tvventies wore'n som intressen happenings

Двaдцaтыe гoды были зaвopaживaющим вpeмeнeм

>""""'english""""" """"""language""""""
>not absolute shit

>>9013301
> "was" is much more common in that sentence
Yes, in America.

Everywhere else, 'were'.