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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
Arbitrary structure rule
Tonight my son asked, "Daddy, why you aren't sick too?"(1) This started me thinking about "Daddy, how come you aren't sick too?" Both are questions, but the wh-word isn't used without inverting the subject and verb unless the question is indirect. It just struck me as arbitrary, but violating the rule does hurt my ear.
And then he said, "Do you know why I love Grandma Katte? Because she gave me a lot of money".(2) My mother-in-law loves me because I give her a lot of money too. This is Taiwan. My son is culturally Taiwanese. Is this what love has come to? Maybe it's an honest expression. When I told my previous Chinese wife that I didn't think she loved me, she said, "Of course I love you. I have sex with you, don't I?" Is that what love is all about? Maybe the gold diggers have it right and the Beatles ("Can't buy me love") had it all wrong.
NOTES:
(1) My son developed strep throat on Sunday and his mother came down with it this morning, but I am fine.
(2) A bunch of American coins for his plastic coin purse.
And then he said, "Do you know why I love Grandma Katte? Because she gave me a lot of money".(2) My mother-in-law loves me because I give her a lot of money too. This is Taiwan. My son is culturally Taiwanese. Is this what love has come to? Maybe it's an honest expression. When I told my previous Chinese wife that I didn't think she loved me, she said, "Of course I love you. I have sex with you, don't I?" Is that what love is all about? Maybe the gold diggers have it right and the Beatles ("Can't buy me love") had it all wrong.
NOTES:
(1) My son developed strep throat on Sunday and his mother came down with it this morning, but I am fine.
(2) A bunch of American coins for his plastic coin purse.
Top answer
"(1) This started me thinking about "Daddy, how come you aren't ... verb unless the question is indirect. [/nq] I don't think it's arbitrary.
- "(1) This started me thinking about "Daddy, how come you aren't ...
- verb unless the question is indirect.
- [/nq] I don't think it's arbitrary.
- "How come" is short for something like "how does it come that" or "how comes it that".
- So the "you aren't sick too" part is a subordinate clause, which it isn't in the question starting with "why".
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3 Answers
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[nq:1]Tonight my son asked, "Daddy, why you aren't sick too?"(1) This started me thinking about "Daddy, how come you aren't ... verb unless the question is indirect. It just struck me as arbitrary, but violating the rule does hurt my ear.[/nq]
I don't think it's arbitrary. "How come" is short for something like "how does it come that" or "how comes it that". So the "you aren't sick too" part i
I don't think it's arbitrary. "How come" is short for something like "how does it come that" or "how comes it that". So the "you aren't sick too" part i
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The inimitable Mike Oliver (Email Removed) stated one day
[nq:2]Tonight my son asked, "Daddy, why you aren't sick too?"(1) ... as arbitrary, but violating the rule does hurt my ear.[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't think it's arbitrary. "How come" is short for something like "how does it come that" or "how comes ... a subordinate clause, which it isn't in the question starting with "why". At least that'
[nq:2]Tonight my son asked, "Daddy, why you aren't sick too?"(1) ... as arbitrary, but violating the rule does hurt my ear.[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't think it's arbitrary. "How come" is short for something like "how does it come that" or "how comes ... a subordinate clause, which it isn't in the question starting with "why". At least that'
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The inimitable Mike Oliver (Email Removed) stated one day
[nq:1]I suppose you know how important it is to knock out strep promptly to avoid autoimmune heart disease later in ... to yank my tonsils when I was 12 was the one time it was strep. I hope both recover quickly.[/nq]
Thank you. I do too.
[nq:1]I suppose you know how important it is to knock out strep promptly to avoid autoimmune heart disease later in ... to yank my tonsils when I was 12 was the one time it was strep. I hope both recover quickly.[/nq]
Thank you. I do too.
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