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Peaceblinkfriend Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

"Why are seminars often held on Wednesdays?" "Why do they always hold semin

Hi,

Why are seminars often held on Wednesdays?

Why do they always hold seminars on Wednesdays?

Are they both grammatical and natural? Does the second version sound a bit less formal?

Thank you.

Best wishes,

PBF
  

Top answer

Fist, realize they are not equivalent (I assume you know that) and they could express two thoughts. " In your second one, you introduce "they" as the unnamed authority figures who make the decision. Depending on tone of voice, it can be seen as complaining.

— BarbaraPA

  • Fist, realize they are not equivalent (I assume you know that) and they could express two thoughts.
  • " In your second one, you introduce "they" as the unnamed authority figures who make the decision.
  • Depending on tone of voice, it can be seen as complaining.
  • " often is part of a complaint, albeit not one you expect an answer to, but more of a whine to a colleague.
  • This not always the case, of course.
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3 Answers
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Fist, realize they are not equivalent (I assume you know that) and they could express two thoughts.

The first could mean either "Why is it that on Wednesdays, we often have a seminar instead of [something else]," or "Why is it that when they hold a seminar, they often pick Wednesday as the day to hold it."

The second could mean "Why is it that on Wednesdays, they
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Thank you for explaining the differences between them to me, Grammar Geek. Emotion: smile And suprisingly, I never thought that they differ from
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Yes, that was my first guess at the meaning, but you could also say "Why are these seminars always held on a Wednesday?" That completely removes that "Why is it on Wednesdays, we often seem to have seminars (instead of letting us do our jobs!)"
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