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Hi Teachers,Could you tell me if the question is appropriate to the bold words in the answer?Who is there taking pictures?There is a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures.Thanks in advance

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Could you tell me if the question is appropriate to the bold words in the answer?

Who is there taking pictures?

There is a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures.

Could you tell me if the question is appropriate to the bold words in the answer?

Who is taking pictures?

A group of Japanese tourists is/are taking pictures.

Is there anyone taking pictures?

Yes, there is a group of Japanesse tourists taking pictures.

I'm sure we've already mentioned in other threads that some of your answers contain unnatural repetition.

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi Clive,

Thank you for your reply.

CliveI'm sure we've already mentioned in other threads that some of your answers contain unnatural repetition.

Today is not the case.

I've written, 'There is a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures' just to show the whole context of the sentence that I have.

A couple of more questions:

a) Why I can't use 'there' neither in the question nor in the answer.

b) Why 'is' and 'are' are possible in the answer.

Best regards

TS

Clive · Answer

Hi,

A couple of more questions:

a) Why I can't use 'there' neither in the question nor in the answer.

When we say 'there is', we usually mean that something exists. Here is the form of the question/answer.

Q - Is there a group of tourists taking pictures?

A - Yes, there is.

We also use 'there' meaning in that place. eg

Someone knocks at the door.

Q- Who is there?

This is what your question ( Who is there taking pictures?) sounds like to me, but I don't think you mean 'in that place'.

b) Why 'is' and 'are' are possible in the answer.

We say 'is' if we are thinking of 'group' as a single item. We say 'are' if we are thinking of it as 'several people'. Similar words include eg team, government, company.

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi Clive,

CliveWe say 'is' if we are thinking of 'group' as a single item. We say 'are' if we are thinking of it as 'several people'. Similar words include eg team, government, company.

Thank you for this explanation. It's very clear.

This is the whole paragraph:

There’s a minor demonstration in a London park. The demonstrators are protesting against the Conservative Party. There aren’t a lot of them; there is only a handful of demonstrators and a few police officers are watching them. There are also several reporters there; in fact, there are quite a few reporters. They are interviewing a couple of demonstrators and a few cameramen are filming the demonstration. There is also a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures.

CliveQ- Who is there? This is what your question ( Who is there taking pictures?) sounds like to me, but I don't think you mean 'in that place'.

This is my original question:

Who is there taking pictures? Who is in the demostration taking pictures? (this is the meaning)

There is a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures.

TS

Clive · Answer

Hi,

This is my original question:

Who is there taking pictures? Who is in the demostration taking pictures? (this is the meaning)

There is a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures.

If you mean 'in that place, in the demonstration',

then word it like this.

Q - Who is there taking pictures?

A - A group of Japanese tourists are there taking pictures.

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi Clive,

CliveQ - Who is there taking pictures?
A - A group of Japanese tourists are there taking pictures.

This is what I've been looking for.

Thank you for your replies and help.

Best regards

TS

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