I was watching BBC the other day and heard the news presenter Sally Bundock ask somebody
"What's your thoughts on immigration?"
I am confused as to how "thoughts" which until now I took as a plural word can be used as a singular word. Is this usage common in English speaking countries? And are there any other similar words which are used thus?
I think that what's should really be what are because thoughts after all is a plural word. The world has not gone crazy. Grammar is grammar and you can't escape it. But, in conversational English, native speakers quite often use what's even for plural things. For example, I once heard Jerry Seinfeld, one of the four main characters in the American sitcom Seinfeld, say:
Where's my shoes?
He obviously should have said "where are my shoes?" because shoes is plural. But, as I already said, in daily English using what's instead of what are (or where's instead of where are) is possible and you will see native speakers do that quite often.
I guess, one reason this happens has probably to do with the fact that what's is easier and faster to pronounce than what are. This is very similar to the situation with there's. When you are talking about something that's more than one in quantity, you should say there are, but in conversational English, almost everyone says there's. I'm quite sure you know this.
