What there is are a house to live in.

[constantinusphilo]

Here is an example of a supposedly cleft sentence taken from A Grammar of Modern Tamil by Thomas Lehman:
What there is are a house to live in.
I think there is something wrong with it, but, of course, he tries to translate a Tamil sentence into some technical English. Should we say: what there is is houses to live in?

 

[SoothingDave]

"is a house" or "are houses"

 

[jutfrank]

What there is is a house to live in.
What there is are houses to live in.

What there is are a house to live in.
What there is is houses to live in.

 

[SoothingDave]

I think "what there are are houses to live in" is another possibility.

 

[constantinusphilo]

I think "what there are are houses to live in" is another possibility.

Well, 'what' is singular, so the verb 'to be' must be singular too, mustn't it?

 

[Ostap]

Well, 'what' is singular, so the verb 'to be' must be singular too, mustn't it?

Doesn't the singular/plural in this case depend on the verb?

What is that thing on the floor?
What are those things on the floor?

Likewise:
Who is that man in the room?
Who are those men in the room?

 

[SoothingDave]

Well, 'what' is singular, so the verb 'to be' must be singular too, mustn't it?

What are you talking about?

 

[emsr2d2]

Well, 'what' is singular, so the verb 'to be' must be singular too, mustn't it?

If "what" is singular, as you claim, what is the plural of it?

 

[Tdol]

What is it?
What are they?