Is there his height or Is his height?

Question

Hi. Please help. Which is correct?1. Is there his height in the chart?2. Is his height in the chart?1. Is his phone number in the ad?2. Is there his phone number in the ad?I am sorry, but is this sentence with the underlined, what I think is an essential phrase correct? I think "the following" includes reasons.Please write a short paragraph and support your position including the following.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Which is correct?

1. Is there his height in the chart?

2. Is his height in the chart?

1. Is his phone number in the ad?

2. Is there his phone number in the ad?

I wouldn't say the #2 versions are wrong, but they are very awkward. Use the #1 versions.

I am sorry, but is this sentence with the underlined, what I think is an essential phrase correct? I think "the following" includes reasons.

Please write a short paragraph and support your position including the following.

What 'the following' refers to needs to be explained.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Hi. I am sorry the example sentences were not uniformly given. Which is correct? "Is there his phone number in the ad?" or "Is his phone number in the ad?"?

I wrote:

Which is correct?

1. Is there his height in the chart?

2. Is his height in the chart?

1. Is his phone number in the ad?

2. Is there his phone number in the ad?

You wrote:

I wouldn't say the #2 versions are wrong, but they are very awkward. Use the #1 versions.

As to your question regarding the nature of the phrase "the following," the following includes an introduction and a conclusion.

Also, could you help me with this, too? When you are writing about a simple picture that has a boy sleeping in (the?) bed. Do you think we need to make a note of any sentence element being nonessential by separating it with a comma? I am sorry if this proves to be too many much for one post. I think we don't need have commas below because we are not able to determine whether something is essential or not, since we don't have a context (or perhaps a sufficient context). Thank you in advance. Any help from you would be appreciated.

eg,

The boy is sleeping/is asleep in (the?) bed, with this head on against bedpost, at what could be around 8 o'clock at night.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Please consider this answer carefully.

I wouldn't say the #2 versions are wrong, but they are very awkward. Use the #1 versions.

Ask again if this is unclear.

As to your question regarding the nature of the phrase "the following," the following includes an introduction and a conclusion.

Why did you originally say 'the following includes reasons'? I don't understand.

A comma represents a pause in speech. if I were saying this, I would pause as shown.

The boy is sleeping/is asleep in (the) bed, with his head against the bedpost, at what could be around 8 o'clock at night.

The pauses give the listener time to absorb each of the three facts I am telling him.

Clive

MalRey · Answer

Clive1. Is there his height in the chart?
2. Is his height in the chart?
I wouldn't say the #2 versions are wrong, but they are very awkward. Use the #1 versions.
Would you really use number one in this set? I find it not only awkward but just plain wrong.

CSnyder · Answer

MalReyWould you really use number one in this set? I find it not only awkward but just plain wrong.

I agree with you; number one seems definitely not right.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Sorry. I misread the post. I thought the 'is there' version was second in both sets of sentences.

Thank you to those who took issue with me.

My answer should have been this.

I wouldn't call the 'Is there . . . ' versions wrong, but they are very awkward. Use the versions without 'is there'.

As for me, I wouldn't use 'is there', but my feeling is that it is not wrong just because I wouldn't say it.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, Clive and others.

Clive, you wrote:

As to your question regarding the nature of the phrase "the following," the following includes an introduction and a conclusion.

Why did you originally say 'the following includes reasons'? I don't understand.

I am sorry if my responses left you feeling confused. I think what I should have said is, "the following includes an introduction, a conclusion and some (two or three?) reasons.

A comma represents a pause in speech. if I were saying this, I would pause as shown.

The boy is sleeping/is asleep in (the) bed, with his head against the bedpost, at what could be around 8 o'clock at night.

The pauses give the listener time to absorb each of the three facts I am telling him.

My question now: Would you say we should write it if we are to write a sentence describing the scene of the picture that depicts the description above (just like in speech)?

I am sorry for the slanted colored responses of mine. I could not find the coloring function. Thank you in advance for your help.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Clive, you wrote:

A comma represents a pause in speech. if I were saying this, I would pause as shown.

The boy is sleeping/is asleep in (the) bed, with his head against the bedpost, at what could be around 8 o'clock at night.

The pauses give the listener time to absorb each of the three facts I am telling him.

My question now: Would you say we should write it if we are to write a sentence describing the scene of the picture that depicts the description above (just like in speech)?

Just like in speech?

That's an excellent approach to the matter of punctuation. Punctuation is a way of representing in writing the way speech is uttered.

The problem for learners, of course, is that theyhave trouble figuring out how somehing would be naturally said. That's why they need so many punctuation rules.

But I think the rules sometimes make learners feel that commas have no connection at all to speech. That's not a good way to think about the matter.

Clive

Khoff · Answer

I would say:

Is his height in the chart?

Is his phone number in the ad?

However, if you have "a" instead of "his," you need the other version:

Is there a height in the chart?

Is there a phone number in the ad?

Is there his height or Is his height?

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