one or two was

Avangi wrote:

Good morning, Hoa Thai, I appreciate the research.  I think your second example is a little bit different, but I'm not sure I can explain it. The gist of it is, ten years ago you might have gotten one or two [things] while now you get twelve.  Since the verb is "to be" you can exchange the subject with the predicate nominative and the meaning is the same:  "Betty is my sister.  My sister is Betty."  So your sentence could read, "A decade ago, the norm [the normal amount] was one or two."  Or you could say, "The amount was two or three."  "Norm" and "amount" are singular nouns and would take the singular verb "was." I think it would be like saying, "The score was two or three," and then turning it around and saying, "Two or three was the score."  Nobody would say, "Two or three were the score."  But I don't know how to justify it formally. Regards,     -  A. (Thanks, Philip) P.S.  Looking back at Jack London's piece, we missed one of his baddies:  "Most of those oyster pirates was shot or died in jail."  "Most" is a plural noun, like "many", and takes the plural verb, "were."

Hi Avangi,

Your "exchanging the subject with the predicate nominative" comment reinforces what I learned but did not often pay attention.

Thank you for spending your time helping me to think a bit deeper.

Best Regards,
Hoa Thai