XPost: alt.usage.english, rec.puzzles   
   From: HenHanna@NewsGrouper   
      
           both in Eng and NL :     was   
           Eng what   is    German  was   
      
   maybe using the above, you can easily make a sentence with 3 or 4 consec. was.   
      
      
   guido wugi  posted:   
      
   > Re Ernie's post on "is is". Examples enough as seen in the thread.   
   >   
   > In Dutch there is a sentence form that has this too, but English hasn't   
   > because it doesn't do inversion:   
      
   > Wat goed (/slecht/nog te bekijken/...) *is, is* dat [er ook nog iets   
   > anders komt...]   
      
   > E. What *is* good (/bad/to be looked after/...), *is* that [there are   
   > more aspects to be...]   
      
   > (The nearest E. examples I saw in the thread are like:    What there is, is   
   that...)   
      
      
      
   > Anyway, just to mention yet that to many speakers (at least Flemings),   
   > this confuses them so as to 'jump' the second "is":   
   > Wat nog belangrijk *is,* [...] dat ...   
   >   
   > It reminded me also of the next examples, and my question about them:   
   > Which came first, the E or NL one? -->:   
   >   
   > Eer was was was was was is.   
   > Before was was was, was was is.   
   > Sentences seem the same, but the "word order" is different (inversion!).   
   >   
   > Google tells me Dutch was first.   
   > Sounds logical, as it is a witty answer to the question:   
   > Wat was was eer was was was?   
   > The above answer answers   
      
              > What was "was" ere "was" "was" was? (with Dutch word order:-)   
      
      
   > But the question was meant to be   
   > What was "wax" ere "wax" "wax" was?   
   > Could also have meant "laundry" (washing), for that matter.   
   > Or "growth" (waxing moon)...   
   >   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)