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Questions tagged [interrogatives]

This tag is for inquiries about the interrogative grammatical form, element, or construction, such as would be employed in the formation of a question.

3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can a question begin with 'but'?

Extract from The Lottery Ticket by Anton Chekhov: "I forgot to look at the newspaper today." said Masha, as she was clearing the table. "Is the list of lottery numbers in it?" &...
James Mathai's user avatar
  • 1,055
0 votes
1 answer
31 views

meaning of the sentence in bold is uncler to me

As he walked through the dark night he was overwhelmed by an urge to escape from his present mental state. Thoroughly weak, agitated, unstable, anxious; seriously wanting in courage and bereft of any ...
Viser Hashemi's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is it correct to say "What, my family and friends would say, is ...?" instead of "What would my family and friends say is ...?"?

ell.stackexchange.com: (1) What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? my variant: (2) What, as my family and friends would say, is the driving force of my life? I think (2) ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 4,951
0 votes
1 answer
50 views

"Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?"— Is it correct not to invert the word order and say "or it should be abolished"?

an example from the section "More examples" on cambridge.org: (1) Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished? Is it necessary to invert the word order in the second ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 4,951
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

"Do you have planned" vs "Have you planned"

So, what exactly do you have planned for your little jaunt up north? https://www.spanishdict.com/examples/jaunt?lang=en I think the above sentence should be expressed as follows: So, what exactly ...
ForOU's user avatar
  • 1,689
-1 votes
1 answer
66 views

Difference between Aren't and Don't [closed]

Could someone please clarify my doubt on below questions. Aren't you on leave today? Don't you on leave today? Which one should I use to ask question. Thanks
Akilan Chandrasekar's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
99 views

Can 'eliminate' be used as intransitive verb?

I know the verb 'eliminate' is used only as a transitive verb. However, I have read some articles which use the verb as an intransitive verb, without any objects. For example, Your dog should find a ...
Mr. Peti's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
45 views

Help me to understand the construction "Why + noun / adjective / adverb ?" in which there is not a verb

I came across the sentence "Why + noun phrase?". This construction is not quite clear to me because it doesn't have a verb. britannica.com: (1a) Why the hurry? What is the full version of (...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 4,951
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

Which is your favourite X or what is your favourite X?

I just had an interesting conversation with a friend (non-native speaker of English, just like me) who was adamant that "which" can be used as an interrogative pronoun in constructions such ...
Helen's user avatar
  • 1,796
1 vote
2 answers
154 views

"Didn't she say something?" vs. "Didn't she say anything?"

I think the second statement has negative meanings maybe the speaker thought she didn't even say a single word. Or he/she hesitates between the person speaking or not(speaking), but it's more likely ...
Kaveh Behnia 's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
73 views

Indirect interrogative sentence; is it acceptable "not" to use it in verbal conversations?

It can be just a learner's habit, but I frequently (mis)use direct interrogative forms when I'm actually supposed to use indirect forms. Part of the reason is that it sometimes sounds even more ...
Gwangmu Lee's user avatar
  • 1,133
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

What's the difference between "Was this supposed to be...” and “Wasn't this supposed to be…"?

Was this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’? Wasn’t this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’? I was asking about a spelling error and I was confused if I should use "was&...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

"he does fear which humans could be in control."

This is from a news article. A common sci-fi fear that Altman doesn't share: AI models that don't need humans, that make their own decisions and plot world domination. "It waits for someone to ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
22 views

did he (deliberateky) say something

a. Did he say something for John to get angry? b. Did he say something in order for John to get angry? c. Did he say something you to get John angry? d. Did he say something you in order to get John ...
azz's user avatar
  • 2,993
0 votes
2 answers
195 views

What are the questions starting with "How long" that correspond to "I have three weeks to learn English" & "I have to learn English for three weeks"?

What will be the questions that start with "How long..." for these two following sentences? I have three weeks to learn English. I have to learn English for three weeks. The only question ...
Indu mathi's user avatar

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