...all/what he found was/were...

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Tan Elaine

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1. To his dismay, all he found was/were a few oysters with no pearls in them.

2. To his dismay, what he found was/were a few oysters with no pearls in them.

Does 'all' and 'what' affect the choice of the verb? I think 'were' should be used in the first sentence, while 'was' is the correct verb for the second sentence. Am I correct?

Thanks.
 

bhaisahab

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1. To his dismay, all he found was/were a few oysters with no pearls in them.

2. To his dismay, what he found was/were a few oysters with no pearls in them.

Does 'all' and 'what' affect the choice of the verb? I think 'were' should be used in the first sentence, while 'was' is the correct verb for the second sentence. Am I correct?

Thanks.

Yes, I would agree with that.
 
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