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brandychen49
Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:57 am Post subject: I don't know "who is the student..../ who the student i |
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I am puzzled at the noun clause here.
(1)I don't know who the best student is.
(2)I don't know who is the best student.
In(2), I view who as the interrogative and subject, so I don't change its place. Is this correct ??
Please help me figure out. Thanks.
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my blog: http://www.wretch.cc/album/brandychen49[/u] |
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2006
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
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| Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:59 am Post subject: Re: I don't know "who is the student..../ who the stude |
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| brandychen49 wrote: |
I am puzzled at the noun clause here.
(1)I don't know who the best student is. correct
(2)I don't know who is the best student. incorrect.... Some native speakers may say this, but I would suggest that you not use question grammar when you are not asking a question. (see below) Some ESL students, including speakers of Chinese, having great difficulty forming correct English questions, so I would recommend that you pay close attention to proper question grammar and use that grammar only when asking questions.
In(2), I view who as the interrogative and subject, so I don't change its place. Is this correct ?? In both (1) and (2), "who" is not an interrogative; it does not function as a question word.
In (1), "who the best student is" is a clause, and should be used when you are not asking a question.
Besides (1), you can make other sentences with it, such as 'Tell me who the best student is.' and 'Who the best student is has not yet been decided.'
"who is the best student", by itself, is a question. 'Who is the best student (in your class)?'
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my blog: http://www.wretch.cc/album/brandychen49[/u] |
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pinenut
Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 165
Location: Illinois, U.S.A.
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| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:08 am Post subject: Re: I don't know "who is the student..../ who the stude |
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| brandychen49 wrote: |
I am puzzled at the noun clause here.
(1)I don't know who the best student is.
(2)I don't know who is the best student.
In(2), I view who as the interrogative and subject, so I don't change its place. Is this correct ??
Please help me figure out. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my blog: http://www.wretch.cc/album/brandychen49[/u] |
| Quote: |
The best student is John Mallory.
John Mallory is the best student. |
If you think there is a difference in meaning between the two sentences, you have your own answer. |
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brandychen49
Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:25 am Post subject: I still don't get it. >< |
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For Pinenut:
The best student is John Mallory.
John Mallory is the best student.
Yeah, I think they are different, so??? What about the noun clause..  |
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rice07
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:32 am Post subject: |
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Hi
Cited Practical English Usage as saying:
word order with what, who and which
Questions beginning who/what/which + be can ask for a subject or a complement. Compare:
Who is the best player here? (This asks for a subject: a possible answer is John is the best player here.)
What is the time? (This asks for a complement: a possible answer is The time is 4.30, not 4.30 is the time.)
When we report the first kind of question (where who/what/which + be asks for a subject), two word orders are possible.
---- DIRECT: Who's the best player here?
-- INDIRECT: She asked me who was the best player.
----------------- She asked me who the best player was.
----- DIRECT: What's the matter?
-- INDIRECT: I asked what was the matter.
----------------- I asked what the matter was.
----- DIRECT: Which is my seat?
--- INDIRECT: She wondered which was her seat.
----------------- She wondered which her seat was.
This does not happen when who/what/which asks for a complement.
------ DIRECT: What's the time?
--- INDIRECT: She asked what the time was. (NOT USUALLY She asked what was the time.)
Hope that helps! |
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