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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 8265 Location: USA
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#3 (permalink) Sat Dec 23, 2006 10:29 am "there are" vs "are there" |
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A huge thank-you to you, Amy!
Yes, I know the answer and the correct answers! 1, 3, 5, 7 are correct! It's just that I have been slogging my guts out for the past two months. Completely on the trot! I think I should take a holiday before my machinery packs up. I won't even try to blame my silly question either on dyslexia or on the damp climate. As Alan once wrote:
In trying to save it, I am afraid I lost it.
Tom |
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Tom I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 2061
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#4 (permalink) Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:54 pm "there are" vs "are there" |
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Hi, Amy !
AFAIK, one can use both structures with link-verb "to be". i.e. it is ok to say: Do you know who he is - Do you know who is he Do you know how many people are there - Do you know how many people there are
Or maybe I got that rule wrong ? How would you comment on this?
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Lost_Soul I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 1861 Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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#5 (permalink) Tue Mar 27, 2007 14:04 pm "there are" vs "are there" |
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Hi LS
Yes, you've got the rule wrong.
- Do you know who he is? CORRECT - Do you know who is he? INCORRECT
When you begin a sentence with an indirect question such as "Do you know", the end of the sentence should be in the same order as an affirmative sentence.
Further examples: - Can you tell me what time it is? - Would you show me where your house is on this map?
In the following two sentences, based on the word order, the word there has different meanings:
- Do you know how many people are there? Rewording: Do you know how many are at the meeting? (i.e. 'there' refers specifically to a place)
- Do you know how many people there are? Rewording: Do you know how many people exist? (i.e. Using the affirmative there is/there are these refer to the simple existence of something -- and the affirmative version is what you need when the question begins with 'Do you know'.)
Amy |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 8265 Location: USA
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#6 (permalink) Tue Mar 27, 2007 17:46 pm "there are" vs "are there" |
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Hi, Amy
I found the rule I was talking about. Here it is:
"Advanced Grammar in Use": "...if the original question begins what, which, or who followed by be + complement, we can put the complement before or after be in the report: • 'Who was the winner?' —> I asked who the winner was. (or ...who was the winner. )"
(Although, this rule doesnt apply to the sentences I wrote before) |
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Lost_Soul I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 1861 Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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#7 (permalink) Tue Mar 27, 2007 18:18 pm "there are" vs "are there" |
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| lost_soul wrote: |
| (Although, this rule doesnt apply to the sentences I wrote before) |
Right, your rule refers to reported speech. What I wrote about is in reference to direct speech in which a question is asked indirectly. (Confusing, eh?)
Amy |
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Yankee I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 8265 Location: USA
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