I think both +3 answers are weird.

@DamkerngT. Shoudn't the verb agree with the complement?

@user178049 Where'd you get that?

@userr2684291 Not remember, I think I read it somewhere. I'm trying to find it.

@user178049 Don't. It's not a rule as far as I know.

@user178049 In English, verbs always agree with the subjects.

The only rule is the so-called Subject-Verb agreement.

The tricky part is probably how to identify the subject.

All he had was a bruise.

@DamkerngT. That's not true.

@userr2684291 No? Could you give me a counter-example?

I'll dig up some examples...

BTW, while you're at it, isn't my idea the same as yours? (the S-V agreement)

Sorry, I was needed, haha.

@DamkerngT. Yeah, but I put rule in italics.

Ahh... so you must've thought of some exceptions at the time.

"Rules" are for math :P

I wonder if there's any. I can't think of an exception at the moment. (I'm multitasking too.)

@DamkerngT. @userr2684291 wait, what about existential there? It agrees with the complement right

@DamkerngT. Swan says: "In English a verb normally agrees with the subject of a sentence, not a following complement. (...) However, if the subject is a long way from the verb, people sometimes make the verb agree with a complement. (...) This often happens, too, when the subject is a relative what-clause, especially when the complement is long."

Well, well, I wonder if Swan was talking about errors or proximal concord (i.e., agreement).

There are three types of agreements, IIRC.

The most interesting thing on the radio and television last weekend, without any doubt, was/were the tennis championships.

@userr2684291 is that PEU? Page what? Edition? I have that book, but have never read actually..lol

@user178049 The last edition, I believe, page 522, section, or whatever, #529.

@userr2684291 It could be considered an error by some. Here is an excerpt from Garner's MAU (Modern American Usage):

@DamkerngT. The latter, I'd say.

> Writers sometimes err, especially when a collective all has a plural complement in the predicate—e.g.: “All she needs are [read is] the open-house listings in the Sunday Real Estate section.” Elliott Rebhun, “Checking Out the Scenery in Apt. 3C,” N.Y. Times, 26 May 2001, at A11.

Hey guys, question for native speakers. What is understood if I say "handphone" as in "It's an elegant handphone". Does it sound like a foreigner?

It does to me, and my dictionary labels it as SE Asian.

I'm not a native English speaker, though.

@user178049 I suspect it's also used in Singapore.

(That's for handphone.)

Hah, not familiar with GloWbe. But I that true! We understand each other.

@user178049 IIRC, it's handy in Germany. :)

I wonder if cell phone or mobile phone is more international. But maybe it's just phone nowadays.

@DamkerngT. Yeah, and it's pronounced hen-dee.

@DamkerngT. Well, I'd think mobile phone.

nods -- I guess so.

@DamkerngT. Nowadays, it's iPhone XD

Haha!

Anyway, I would never say "handphone", though I'm living in Malaysia. I really wantto imitate how native speakers speak :-)

BTW, I just noticed that I missed a message. In an existential there, the (grammatical) subject is there. But IIRC, linguists are still arguing over this.

@user178049 I think cell phone and mobile phone are used probably almost everywhere.

Yeah, mobile phone appreciably more frequently in all regions, according to GloWbE.

@DamkerngT. Yeah, I can see that the use of "there+is+plural noun" is quite common.

@user178049 That's because, by my lights, there's is considered one unit.

People don't really think about it as two separate words.

@userr2684291 Owwhh.

I wonder why we don't contract it with "are". There're..lol..sounds ugly.

@user178049 We do.

Ehh..wow! Really

@userr2684291 never come accross such contruction.

Hello to everyone. Good afternoon, or good evening.

CGEU says there's + plural also common with negative, "there's no telephones" :D

Hello @Alex89 It's 12.15 a.m here :D

Have you got your badge?

@user178049 Yeah it's as scarce as hen's teeth.

Some people I used to communicate with used it all the time.

I@userr2684291 Haha, but I'd rather use there's+plural . There're just doesn't roll off my tongue.

@user178049 yes, I have. I got Explainer, Excavator and Civic Duty. They're very nice.

@Alex89 Wow, congratulation! That's so quick. I haven't got excavator yet :-(

I have 25 badges now. I want five more.

@Alex89 Keep going and contributing on this site! :-D

I think I will be able to get Electorate, Enthusiast, Fanatic and Popular question. Maybe also Custodian. I tried to earn Custodian but the site says that the queues are empty.((

I think "fanatic" is quite hard to get. You need to stay active for a long period.

Haha, Im not looking foward to custodian, I don't often using PC

You are from Malaysia, aren't you?

@Alex89 You need to get all of them at least twice.

@user178049 Same here.

why twice?)

@Alex89 Yes, I am :D

@userr2684291 Yeah, you know the struggle. Sometimes I need to keep refreshing my browser to receive a new message..lol

@Alex89 Then everyone on the site will know who they're dealing with.

@user178049 No. I replied to your message about there's. You can tap on the black arrow to highlight it.

@user178049 I don't know if you're aware of this feature, but you can reply to a specific message, not just the user.

@userr2684291 I can't find any button here. Are you using Chrome?

@user178049 Yes, I was using Chrome there.

I see no trouble in trying to get as many badges as possible. At my site, I have earned 55 of 59 possible badges. And also I have some other achievements, such as 500 bounties, 115 friends etc.

Haha, I think my browser doesn't support that function.

@user178049 Ah, I see.

I don't know my phone's OS version or anything.

@Alex89 which site?

A Russian site, called "Big question". I think it may have origin from StackExchange. I don't know if this is a plagiarism... but it seems to be.

For me, it's quite hard to get a badge, maybe I need to be more active

@userr2684291 Im using android now, and it sucks. Sometimes I need to rewrite my message..lol

> If you smelt…what the rock…is cooking…

Is it custom idiom?What does this means?

@user178049 I mean I know mine's an Android phone, but I don't know what version.

@Fawad It's just The Rock line..It's funny..lol

I wonder, ought I to say which or what version?

@user178049 It must have some meaning inside…really not?

@userr2684291 I think what is the more natural choice, especially when you have no idea about the versions.

@userr2684291 Owhh, you can fine it at setting>about device(or android)

@user178049 I know.

@Fawad I have no idea, but we can understand it as a normal (half-)sentence.

@userr2684291 if you want to say Android lollipop or marshmallow,then "which version" and if Android 5.0 or Android 60.01 then "what version" IIRC

@Fawad According to Quora, it doesn't

@Fawad No.

*find

If I don't know if it's version A or version B, then I'd use which.

:O rock behave mad/mental in front of huge crowd then.

I think it's probably something like: The Rock is cooking something. If you smell that ... (The Rock is probably here).

@Fawad It means "...if you know what I'm planning."

I think if you know the range(1-6.0 version), it's fine to use "which"

@userr2684291 yep,agreed!

@userr2684291 Makes sense. Is he still using this phrase?

Now that he's not in the ring anymore. (I guess)

@DamkerngT. I wouldn't know.

@DamkerngT. unfortunately he is not in WWE anymore,he is in films now

nods

@DamkerngT. Yeah, it doesn't really make sense to use it, then, haha.

@user178049 I don't know the range either.

Someone watch wwe here? (I want to know why people are fans of Roman reigns :P)

I think reddit has the answerhttps://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/3vj46k/the_original_meanin‌​g_behind_do_you_smell_what_the/

@Fawad Me not raising hands. :)

@Fawad Never been a fan of that stuff. They're all actors anyway.

@userr2684291 in one video rock says all matches he won (with HHH,stone cold) were real,but which he lost to John Cena was fake

The fun is … on YT wwe has stopped comments on that video

@Fawad Hahaha, the truth is actually opposite from the statement

@Fawad I had no idea he was a wrestler; I'd thought he was just an actor.

chat.stackexchange.com/messages/36279653/history

@userr2684291 hey,what's difference between " ; " and " , " ?

@Fawad The semi-colon should be a bit stronger than the comma.

Can I ask questions about punctuation on this site?

@Fawad Because the part after the semi-colon is strongly connected with the part preceding it, I used a semi-colon. However, the part after the pause is a thought on its own, so it might as well've been a separate sentence.

@Alex89 You can. But I think it shouldn't be too basic. I mean, a question like, a comma in relative clause, apposition would be great.

@user178049 thanks. You made it quite clear for me.

You are welcome :)

@Fawad Maybe a comma would've worked there, but I'd rather err on the side of caution. (I might be venturing beyond my purview, mind.)

I see

But aren't present here some users which have poor knowledge of English but want to improve it? You know, not every person on Earth knows what a relative clause is.

@Fawad thepunctuationguide.com/semicolon.html Might help you.

I use like (1,2);(2,1);(x,y)

We are expecting the learner to show interest by including some research.. a basic question about punctuation can be easily & quickly answered by google.

@user178049 yeah,I know

I was just chilling with you guys

I know how to use Google, it is no trouble. But it's kind of dead machine. And sometimes I have such a big wish to communicate with live people))

@Fawad Haha, I mean, a basic question about punctuation wouldn't be appropriate on the main site. But in this chat room, it's fine :-)

@Alex89 On the internet, nobody knows you're a bot.

eyes Damkerng suspiciously.

@userr2684291 you can't fool us (atleast me) :P

eye aversion mode engaged...

Hahah.

@Fawad See, I hadn't even pinged him and his sensors registered it.

:D

(≧▽≦)

Bye , cya

Bye, bye. Come visit us again soon!

\o all

@DamkerngT. You forgot follow us on Twitter

@M.A.R. Like, comment, share, and subscribe!

:D

(0:

Good evening all

And I hope you're better today, @snailplane.

We rode 60+ kilometers today

it was nice

And walked some!

(0:

That's how it is

Very warm, about 3 degrees above zero

Good night

@CowperKettle 3 WHOLE DEGREES ABOVE ZERO?! How many fatalities?

@CowperKettle Who are you in this pic? The pine tree?

Snake game dialect, duh

Japanese is so Greek to me