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Taka Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
What
Which is grammatically correct? Or are they both OK but the meanings are different?
It appears in what are called the classical dialogues.
It appears in what is called the classical dialogues.
It appears in what are called the classical dialogues.
It appears in what is called the classical dialogues.
Top answer
Which do you mean? It appears in a compendium which is called the classical dialogues. (singular) It appears in writings which are called the classical dialogues.
- Which do you mean?
- It appears in a compendium which is called the classical dialogues.
- (singular) It appears in writings which are called the classical dialogues.
- (plural)
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15 Answers
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Which do you mean?
It appears in a compendium which is called the classical dialogues. (singular)
It appears in writings which are called the classical dialogues. (plural)
It appears in a compendium which is called the classical dialogues. (singular)
It appears in writings which are called the classical dialogues. (plural)
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Unless The Classical Dialogues is the proper name of a work, in which case it would normally be capitalised, I think the correct choice is "are".
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AlpheccaStarsWhich do you mean?It appears in a compendium which is called the classical dialogues. (singular)It appears in writings which are called the classical dialogues. (plural)So aside from the semantics, purely from a grammatical point of view, can the be-verb for "what" be either the singular or the plural?
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GPYUnless The Classical Dialogues is the proper name of a work, in which case it would normally be capitalised, I think the correct choice is "are".Do you mean it's semantically correct, GPY?
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TakaSo aside from the semantics, purely from a grammatical point of view, can the be-verb for "what" be either the singular or the plural?What are the names of the US presidents?
What is the name of the first US president?
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Taka GPYUnless The Classical Dialogues is the proper name of a work, in which case it would normally be capitalised, I think the correct choice is "are".Do you mean it's semantically correct, GPY?It's certainly perfectly feasible, both grammatically and sematically.
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AlpheccaStars What are the names of the US presidents?What is the name of the first US president?Not that kind, AS. What I'm thinking about is this kind:
He certainly knows what is right.
He certainly knows what are right.
Do they both work?
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TakaHe certainly knows what is right.He certainly knows what are right.Do they both work?No. The reference is understood to be singular.
See entry #4 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/what?s=t
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But you said these two worked, although whether it was "are" or "is" depended on its intended meaning, didn't you?
It appears in a compendium which (=what) is called the classical dialogues. (singular)
It appears in writings which (=what) are called the classical dialogues. (plural)
It appears in a compendium which (=what) is called the classical dialogues. (singular)
It appears in writings which (=what) are called the classical dialogues. (plural)
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Yes, it is the same argument presented by GPY.
If "Classical Dialogues" is a compendium, a singular work and capitalized, the singular is used.
If it is a collection of assorted writings, then the plural would be used. (This is the default, given no other information.)
If "Classical Dialogues" is a compendium, a singular work and capitalized, the singular is used.
If it is a collection of assorted writings, then the plural would be used. (This is the default, given no other information.)
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