Elfira Yolanda S

.. being singular. Why?

At first, I was not happy that ‘everyone’ is happy being singular. Why does not it say: everyone are happy?

I asked him the question. I thought I had strong reason, great argument to defeat grammar that had existed for centuries.

There is a sense of lots in ‘everyone’. I always thought that when we said ‘everyone’, we were talking about people.

“No, it doesn’t work that way”, he said. “Everyone refers to each individual, it’s not like we add each individual to a collection so that it becomes a plural noun.”

I actually got it when he explained it that way. I should have said thank you, but I didn’t.

I needed object to hit. I just needed to cry so bad that I picked up a fight, a ridiculous fight… over English grammar. I threw all arguments that I could think of and persisted that everyone should be a plural.

He was very patient. He kept explaining and giving his own arguments. He didn’t let me to hold on the wrong answer. He tried his best to guide me. That was the way he responded to my English question. That was the way he raised me.

I did cry. :p

Now, I am very happy that ‘everyone’ is happy being singular. I’ve got myself a memory of him. It is priceless.

Should he be right here, right now, what would I do?

.. ask him what tenses to use if I want to tell, in narrator mode, a fact that still happens to the day when the story is told? Like the italic lines above.. I can pick up another fight over that.

Or better.. I can simply say,

Happy birthday, Pa!

November 28