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Tinanam0102 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

What are there in Hollywood?

Hi teachers,

I found this example on-line.
There are starving actors in Hollywood. Then:
What are there in Hollywood?

1. Is 'What are there in the box?' same as 'What's in the box?' to refer to several items in the box? For example, 2 staplers, and 2 pens.
2. Is 'What's in the box?' same as 'What is there in the box?'

Thanks
TN
  

Top answer

It's a very poor example. "There" is not the subject in the sentence, There are starving actors in Hollywood. , the plural "actors" is the real subject.

— AlpheccaStars

  • It's a very poor example.
  • "There" is not the subject in the sentence, There are starving actors in Hollywood.
  • , the plural "actors" is the real subject.
  • That is why the verb is plural.
  • What is the subject in the question: What is there in Hollywood?
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8 Answers
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It's a very poor example.

"There" is not the subject in the sentence, There are starving actors in Hollywood., the plural "actors" is the real subject. That is why the verb is plural.

What is the subject in the question: What is there in Hollywood?
The answer of course, can be singular or plural. There is a big sign on the hill. / There are many big mansions
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Hi AlpheccaStars,

Do you mean, What is there in Hollywood? same as What's in Hollywood? ? even without 'there'?
Thanks
TN
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tinanam0102Do you mean, What is there in Hollywood? same as What's in Hollywood? ? even without 'there'?
Yes.

If the questioner wants a plural answer, they would ask, "What things are (there) in the box?", or What kind of people are (there) in Hollywood?"
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Hi AlpheccaStars,

Thank you for your explanation. I understand (from other threads on this forum) in general even though there are a lot of things in the box, you would just 'What's in the box?'

Here's another collocation problem.

What things are (there) in the box?
What are the things (there) in the box? Is this one correct?

Thanks
TN
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tinanam0102What things are (there) in the box?What are the things (there) in the box? Is this one correct?
There is just an adverb of place. It can be added, but it is not necessary. It intensifies the sense of place "in the box."
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Hi AlpheccaStars,

I'm sorry I asked the wrong question.
Is it:
What things are in the box?
What are things in the box?
Thanks
TN
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What things are in the box?

The second, while it is grammatical, makes no sense to me.

You can ask it this way:
What are those / these things in the box?

It means you can see certain things in the box, but you don't know what they are.
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Hi AlpheccaStars,

Thanks for the examples.
TN
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