Nice question! The sentence "Eight fish is how many the pelican caught." is not correct. Here are two correct ways to say it:
- Simple and clear: The pelican caught eight fish.
- Passive form (also correct): Eight fish were caught by the pelican.
Why these are correct:
- "Eight fish" means more than one fish, so we must use a plural verb. That is why we say "were" (not "is") in the second sentence.
- Putting the pelican first makes the sentence easy: "The pelican" (who did the action) + "caught" (the action) + "eight fish" (what was caught).
Try this short practice: Fix the sentence "Two birds is on the fence." → "Two birds are on the fence."