Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

When you hear or read, "You are old enough to know which is good or not," does this sentence make sense? I came across this sentense the other day in an English composition drill book published in Japan. This sentence has no context, ie. a stand-alone sentence.

If it were "You are old enough to know which is good or which is not," then I could imagine what situation it is and what it means.

What do you think?

[pugachevV]

Maybe this is supposed to be: "You are old enough to know better"?
This is said to somebody (often a child or young person) when they do something not too smart, or wrong.
Still, the English in your example is not wrong.

[fw]

Thank you for your prompt reply, pugachevV.

You wrote, "Still, the English in your example is not wrong."

Which does "the English in your example" refer to, #1 or #2, below?
1. You are old enough to know which is good or not.
2. You are old enough to know which is good or which is not.

My main interest is whether or not #1, above, is natural and correct English.

[pugachevV]

I think, which is good and which is not, is better here.
If you use which like that it usually implies a choice between actions that have been previously mentioned.

For example, "Should I go to school, or go fishing?"
" You are old enough to know which is good and which is not."