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Seagull Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

I wonder who it is

Hello everyone. I have a couple of questions.

Regarding the following dialogue:

A : Do you hear the knocks on the door?
B : Yes. I wonder who it is.

Q1 Is the definite article in A necessary?

Q2 In B, is the pronoun "it" used appropriately if the speaker means "a person" regardless of their sex?

Q3 In B, can "what" replace "who" if the speaker means that "someone or something is knocking on the door"?
  

Top answer

seagull Q1 Is the definite article in A necessary? I would expect 'knocking', but the article is necessary if we are to think the sound is clearly heard. seagull Q2 In B, is the pronoun "it" used appropriately if the speaker means "a person" regardless of their ***?

— Mister Micawber

  • seagull Q1 Is the definite article in A necessary?
  • I would expect 'knocking', but the article is necessary if we are to think the sound is clearly heard.
  • seagull Q2 In B, is the pronoun "it" used appropriately if the speaker means "a person" regardless of their ***?
  • Yes, that is the native choice.
  • seagull Q3 In B, can "what" replace "who" if the speaker means that "someone or something is knocking on the door"?
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2 Answers
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seagullQ1 Is the definite article in A necessary?
I would expect 'knocking', but the article is necessary if we are to think the sound is clearly heard.
seagullQ2 In B, is the pronoun "it" used appropriately if the speaker means "a person" regardless of their ***?
Yes, that is the native choice.
seagull
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I understand.
Thank you so much for your clear and informative explanation, Mister Micawber.
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