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MIG Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

What is the difference

Hi.
Please help me to understand why we can omit "do" in the second sentence.

1) How many cars do you have?
2) Can you tell me how many cars you have?
  

Top answer

MIG Please help me to understand why we can omit "do" in the second sentence . Dummy do is not used in the second sentence for the same reason you have used basic subject-predicate order in the underlined clause above: there is no subject-auxiliary inversion in indirect questions. How many cars you have is an indirect question embedded within a direct question.

— RandomGuy

  • MIG Please help me to understand why we can omit "do" in the second sentence .
  • Dummy do is not used in the second sentence for the same reason you have used basic subject-predicate order in the underlined clause above: there is no subject-auxiliary inversion in indirect questions.
  • How many cars you have is an indirect question embedded within a direct question.
  • Can you tell me [ how many cars you have ] ?
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4 Answers
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MIGPlease help me to understand why we can omit "do" in the second sentence.
Dummy do is not used in the second sentence for the same reason you have used basic subject-predicate order in the underlined clause above: there is no subject-auxiliary inversion in indirect questions.

How many cars you have is an indirect question embed
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Thank you very much Aspara Gus.
Can we use indirect questions solely, without embedding them into a direct question?

For instance:
How many cars you have?
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MIGHow many cars you have?
That’s common in casual conversation. On the other hand, a native speaker would be very unlikely to say Why we can omit "do" in the second sentence?
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As always thank you AG.Emotion: smile
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