For what...

Question

But even on its own terms, the vote is hollow. For what did MPs vote for but “alternative arrangements”?(The Guardian.)Is one of two for's redundant in the question For what did MPs vote for but “alternative arrangements”??

Clive · Accepted Answer

But even on its own terms, the vote is hollow. For what did MPs vote for but “alternative arrangements”?

(The Guardian.)

Is one of two for's redundant in the question For what did MPs vote for but “alternative arrangements”??

The first 'for' means 'because'. The sentence would then be But even on its own terms, the vote is hollow, for (or because) what did MPs vote for but “alternative arrangements”?

Not that the period after 'hollow' is better replaced by a comma, to avoid making what follows into a fragment.

Finally, note that the revised sentence has not only two instances of 'for', but also two instances of 'but'. I don't consider this to be great style.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

This is an interesting question. "To vote for" is a valid verb. This is what MP's and similar political figures do: They vote for things. But the second sentence, without loss of sense, could be simply: "What did MPs vote for but "alternative arrangements"? Or again, without loss of sense, the "for" could be split off from the combination verb, and the sentence could be simply: "For what did MPs vote but "alternative arrangements"?"

However, "For what did MPs vote for but "alternative arrangements"?", is acceptable English. The two "for's" might have used stylistically for emphasis or to draw attention.

For what...

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions