I want to say, "He loves being wined and dined, and he's not above demanding it." I don't know whether being can be treated as the referent of it, or I must take the whole verb phrase as a plural. I realize that could use them, but for apparently brain-stem reasons I am unable.
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2 Answers
Being is just one thing, not two.
Being wined on the one hand and being dined on the other might just might be two things (though I doubt it) but being wined and dined is definitely just one thing alone.
Use it.
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I don't understand the explanation well enough that it would be transferable to other cases. For example, "My dog hates being washed and trimmed and he fusses with both." How do I interpret your statement that "being is just one thing, not two" in this context? Oct 22, 2014 at 4:26
It is singular. The expression is an idiom (seldom used in the literal sense) meaning being entertained lavishly.
Sorry about there being neither real wine nor a real dinner, though there could be.
HTH.