gone were/was

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	New2grammar  #529693  Thu, 19 Jun 08 06:34 PM Gone were/was her dark auburn hair. Which is correct? Thanks    New2grammar Joined on Tue, Nov 21 2006 Veteran Member (7,670) Who wants to go sailing around the world with me?

	CalifJim  #529694  Thu, 19 Jun 08 06:36 PM  There's not a plural word in the whole sentence!  was! Was this supposed to be a trick question?    CJ     CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member (16,964) "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche
Select Tags... SaveCancel Plurals, Plural words

	New2grammar  #529705  Thu, 19 Jun 08 06:54 PM I thought it was because I saw 'were' used. Really can't believe what's on the Internet!    New2grammar

	CalifJim  #529716  Thu, 19 Jun 08 07:05 PM  I wonder if that was from a non-English speaker.  In many languages "hair" is treated as a plural, but not in English. CJ     CalifJim
Plurals

	optilang  #529719  Thu, 19 Jun 08 07:09 PM  Also in Yorkshire My/Me hair were longer in them days.     optilang Joined on Tue, May 13 2008 Poland Senior Member (2,175) OptiNative British English Speaker Wherever I may roam, I'm still a Londoner.

	CalifJim  #529723  Thu, 19 Jun 08 07:20 PM optilang Also in Yorkshire My/Me hair were longer in them days.  Hmmm.  Very interesting.  I did not know that. CJ     CalifJim

	Yoong Liat  #529751  Thu, 19 Jun 08 08:51 PM New2grammar Gone were/was her dark auburn hair. Which is correct? Neither. Gone is her dark auburn hair.    Yoong Liat Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006 Singapore Veteran Member (6,006) Yoong Liat
Grammar

	optilang  #529752  Thu, 19 Jun 08 08:56 PM Before she died, she woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and could not believe her eyes. Gone was her dark auburn hair.     optilang

	Kooyeen  #529797  Thu, 19 Jun 08 11:15 PM New2grammar can't believe what's on the Internet! Do you want some more examples? I can give you a lot! You won't believe it! Yeah, the net is a mess. As Jim said, in some languages hair is plural (mine too, and that's why I tend to make that mistake and use the plural). But on the other hand, optilang showed you how a certain "strange" expression can be normal in some dialects. Interesting, eh?    Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member (3,972) If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.
Grammar, Plurals, Dialects, Expressions