What do you think is A vs what do you think A is

Hi!

lagatawWhat do you think A is?

It depends on what 'A' represents:

What do you think is wrong?
What do you think is black and white and red all over?

What do you think an armadillo is?
What do you think the time is?

thanks...what if a is a long clause/phrase like "one thing that communists and capitalists agree on". should i still put the linking verb "is" at the end? i.e. should i say

"What do you think one thing that communists and capitalists agree on is?"

or

"What do you think is one thing that communists and capitalists agree on?"

sorry that was messy...i was just saying... should i say

"What do you think is one thing that communists and capitalists agree on?"

or

"What do you think one thing that communists and capitalists agree on is?"

Use the first because the predicate is so long. The reader has to wait too long for the verb in the second version.

thanks....

so it's not grammatically incorrect to say:

What do you think is the time?

and

What do you think is an armadillo?

Those are wrong because they are short. Grammar allows options in exceptional circumstances.