Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[faith2k]

According to descriptive grammar, the vast majority of native speakers of English would judge the following statement as grammatically acceptable:

"What the cat did was ate the rat."

Is this a common way of saying it? Are there more examples where the past tense can follow the be verb like the case above?

Thank you.

[2006]

[Lorikeet]

"What the cat did was ate the rat."

I can imagine this sentence. A conversation for example:

A: Why are you so angry with the cat?
B: That stupid cat caught a rat!
A: So? Cats catch rats. What did he do that was so bad?
B: What the cat did was ate the rat!

I wouldn't suggest using the construction necessarily, but I can imagine it being said. There would probably be a pause after "was" which would make the meaning clearer.

Notice, that "was ate the rat" is not really the construction. The construction is "What the cat did was........" (ate the rat, knocked over the bowl, broke the window, etc.)

[faith2k]

Thank you. I know it is not correct grammar, but now I can understand in what context it is said.