The other day, I had my students write a few sentences using verbs in the past and one thing I wrote myself just to tease them was "When I first started this class, I thought everybody was dweebs".  When I came back home, this everybody was dweebs kept hammering in my head and somehow I thought it was not exactly right, even if superficially it seemed to be (I guess it just sounded eerie). Then I came up with the following solutions to be used instead of the first sentence that was spilled out of my pen:
I thought everybody were dweebs (this doens’t sound as bad as the first one, although everybody strictly speaking should be followed by a singular verb, but I think the predicate dweebs being plural somehow pulls a plural verb and also everybody refers to many people, so wouldn’t notional agreement and the principle of proximity exculpate me here?).  So it sounded acceptable to me.
I thought everybody was a bunch of dweebs.  (This one doesn’t have any problems, at least as far as I can tell, but I had to resort to adding a collective name, which means a big change to my original sentence.)
I thought all of you were dweebs (but again, I’m changing it too much, and I didn’t want that.)
Any ideas, corrections, improvements?
Luciano

...I thought everybody was a dweeb.

or

...I thought you all were a bunch o’ dweebs.

-Tim

I vote:

"Everybody was a dweeb."

I think we do hear a plural here sometimes, though, in everyday speech.

"I went to that party with my girlfriend, but everybody was artists, so I didn’t have much to say anybody."

Although this might slip by, I think there is a bit of a disconnect or second thought intrusion in this construction.

Sitran

..everyone was a dweeb..

..you were all dweebs..

In my view you can’t say everbody was dweebs. You could say everybody was bananas, or everybody was nuts, but that would be different.

I don’t understand why I didn’t think of everybody was a dweeb.  Maybe I’m becoming one myself.  Thanks anyway.
Brazilian dude

First, let me say that I have no idea of what "dweeb" or "dweebs" means.  Was it a word of the day I missed?

Having said that, please note that the American Heritage Dictionary usage note says "‘Everyone’ and ‘everbody’ as subjects, take singular verbs.  Especially in formal usage, accompanying pronouns and pronominal adjectives are also singuar . . . ."

So it should be

"Everybody was . . . "

Now, if "dweebs" is an adjective. it should be

"Everybody was dweebs."

Similar to

"Everybody was intelligent."

If "dweebs" is an uncountable noun. it should be

"Everybody was dweebs."

(A parallel sentence is difficult to think of, but
let’s try a nonsensical one)

"Everybody was rice."

If "dweebs" is an countable noun. it should be

"Everybody was a dweeb."

(I assume "dweebs" is the plural form)

A parallel example:

"Everybody was a student."

Would someone please tell me what "dweebs" means?

Cheers,

BNJTOKYO

From yourDictionary:

[center]Dweeb[/center]

If I may, though, to my mind there is a difference in the following sentences:

When I first got here, I thought everybody was a dweeb.

When I first got here, I thought y’all were a bunch of dweebs.

Out of context, especially, the first statement sounds like a general statement about, literally, everybody.

The second statement, on the other hand, sounds like it is directed at a specific group of people.

Anybody else?

-Tim

[quote author=Tim Ward link=board=grammar;num=1079804491;start=0#6 date=03/24/04 at 12:12:27]From yourDictionary:

[center]Dweeb[/center]

If I may, though, to my mind there is a difference in the following sentences:

When I first got here, I thought everybody was a dweeb.

When I first got here, I thought y’all were a bunch of dweebs.

Out of context, especially, the first statement sounds like a general statement about, literally, everybody.

The second statement, on the other hand, sounds like it is directed at a specific group of people.

Anybody else?

-Tim

In Western Pennsylvania, the second sentence would read:

When I first got here, I thought y’uns were a bunch of dweebs.

. . . while in Boston, Massachusetts, it would read:

When I first got here, I thought all o’ yuz were a bunch of dweebs.

To be authentic East Boston (East-a Bost, in the manner of Sig. Gentile), the all o’ yuz needs to be accompanied by a sweeping right arm jesture, palm facing outward, from the speaker’s lower left to his/her/its upper right.

My statement was meant to be a generalization.
Brazilian dude

You see, though, this is where language and culture can play some subtle tricks on you.

When I said the first sentence sounds like a generalization, I meant a grand generalization, as in "everyobdy but me".

The second sentence is what you would use if you were addressing a classroom or a school.

But maybe that’s just me.

-Tim

You’re right, Tim, at least the second version is more clear. Again, I don’t know why I simply didn’t say that in the first place, it makes more sense to me as well.
Chapeau!
Brazilian dude