"I can't tell you how many times I've walked off stage to see producers sitting there in tears, whether it be happiness or frustration." - Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel in OK Weekly
This quote contains two errors: an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement and a faulty comparison.
Howie chose to use the subjunctive mood in the clause "whether it be." This is perfectly acceptable, but it can make an analysis of the sentence structure a bit challenging. Let's start by looking at the pronoun and its antecedent.
The pronoun "it" refers back to the antecedent "tears." The antecedent is plural, so the pronoun and its verb must be plural as well. Change the pronoun from "it" to "they." The subjunctive form of "to be" is "be" for both the singular and the plural, so the verb is fine as it is. The clause should therefore be "whether they be."
The use of "whether they be" establishes a comparison, usually of one thing (the antecedent) to two or more other things (the predicates) or between two or more modifiers of the antecedent (predicates as well).
Here is an example of this structure using nouns as the antecedent and the predicates:
- I love all animals, whether they be dogs or cats.
The antecedent is "animals." The predicates are "dogs" and "cats." To test the logic of the sentence, compare the antecedent with the predicates.
- animals are dogs
- animals are cats
Both of these statements make sense. The sentence is correct.
Here is an example using a noun as the antecedent and two modifiers (adjectives) as the predicates:
- I like all dogs, whether they be big or small.
The antecedent is "dogs" and the predicates are "big" and "small." Test the logic of the sentence:
- dogs are big
- dogs are small
Both statements are logical, so the sentence is correct.
Here is an example using prepositional phrases as the predicates:
- I like all dogs, whether they be from the pound or from a breeder.
The antecedent is "dogs" and the predicates are "from the pound" and "from the breeder." Test the logic of the sentence:
- dogs are from the pound
- dogs are from a breeder
These statements both make sense. The sentence is correct.
Now consider the participial phrase in Howie's statement:
- "sitting there in tears, whether they be happiness or devastation"
The antecedent is "tears" and the predicates are "happiness" and "devastation." Test the logic of the phrase by comparing the antecedent with the predicates:
- tears are happiness
- tears are devastation
These statements do not make sense. This phrase is incorrect. To correct this participial phrase, try using prepositional phrases as the predicates.
- "sitting there in tears, whether they be of happiness or of devastation"
Test the logic of the participial phrase:
- tears are of happiness
- tears are of devastation
Both statements make sense. The participial phrase is correct.
This version of Howie's statement corrects the errors:
"I can't tell you how many times I've walked off stage to see producers sitting there in tears, whether they be of happiness or of frustration."
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