what is the matter

Question

0 In a course book I saw "Ask them what is the matter". I think it must be "Ask them what the matter is". Is it peculiar to "what's the matter" phrase or are there other usages for tdifferent phrases like this. Is it correct? 0-

Goodman · Accepted Answer

0Hi,02br
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01sup^{00Your book is wrong. 02sup}02br
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01sup^{00 01i01font00T02font00his form of sentnece structure is often misunderstood. 02i02sup}02br
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01i01sup^{00Do you know where he lives- correct?02sup}02i02br
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01sup^{01b01i00Do you know where does he lives02i02b01i00 ?- 01font00not correct02font02i02sup}02br
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01sup^{01b01i00Ask him what does he do for a living02i02b01i00 –01font00wrong 02font02i02sup}02br
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01i01sup^{00Ask him what he does for a living.- correct 02sup}02i02br
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01sup^{01b01i00I don’t care what is your opinion02i02b01i00 –01font00wrong 02font02i02sup}02br
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01i01sup^{00 00I don’t care what your opinion is - correct02sup}02i0-

New2grammar · Answer

0In conversations, can I say " (Go and ) Ask him, 'What is the matter?' " ?0-

CalifJim · Answer

0 Either form is possible for 01i00Ask them what [ is the matter / the matter is]02i00. It does seem to be peculiar to "What is the matter?" because people say 01i00Ask them what the problem is02i00 in preference to 01i00Ask them what is the problem02i00.02br
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00 Nevertheless, it should be noted that, at least in the U.S., the recent tendency is to invert subject and verb in an indirect question, just as if it were a direct question, forming a structure that can be called a semi-indirect question. This tendency becomes more evident as the question becomes longer, so my observation of this point is not necessarily relevant to the much shorter "What's the matter?"02br
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00 CJ02br
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00 See also the long thread that begins here: 050040pid102577

Kooyeen · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10CalifJim12cite10 ...11font10the recent tendency is not to invert subject and verb in an indirect question12font10, forming a structure that can be called a semi-indirect question. This tendency becomes more evident as the question becomes longer, so my observation of this point is not necessarily relevant to the much shorter "What's the matter?"12br
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12blockquote

10Hi Jim, could you explain that a little more? By the way, I think we are considering sentences with the verb "to be", in which we can't always say what's the subject exactly... <---- I prefer "what's the subject" to "what the subject is", am I wrong?02br
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00Thanks 050010id1

CalifJim · Answer

0 You replied before I had a chance to edit what I had said. I think my revision explains it. If not, we can discuss it further.02br
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00I prefer "what's the subject" to "what the subject is", am I wrong?12blockquote

10Preferences are never wrong -- but unfortunately your preference does not agree with mine!02br
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00 I suspect that 01i00what02i00 in "What is the matter?" is regarded by many speakers as the subject. For those speakers the word order 01i00what is the matter02i00 already signals indirect question form, the direct and indirect word order being the same.02br
00 For other speakers, that 01i00what02i00 is regarded as the complement, 01i00matter02i00 being the subject. For them 01i00what the matter is02i00 is the indirect question form.02br
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00 CJ02br
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0-

Kooyeen · Answer

0 Yep, I understand, that's what I thought too... it basically depends on what you consider to be the subject.02br
00Sorry to bother you again, but the problem is my question was actually another one, that is:01blockquote

01cite10CalifJim12cite10 ...11font10the recent tendency is not to invert subject and verb in an indirect question12font10, forming a structure that can be called a semi-indirect question. This tendency becomes more evident as the question becomes longer, so my observation of this point is not necessarily relevant to the much shorter "What's the matter?"12br
12blockquote

10What did you mean by that sentence in red? 02br
01i00"The recent tendency is NOT to invert subject and verb in an indirect question" --02i00 I think subject and verb are NEVER inverted in indirect questions. Plus, we are considering cases in which we sometimes we have to choose what's the subject... so I really don't understand what you meant, I was just confused by that.02br
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00Thank you 050010id1

CalifJim · Answer

0 It was a misstatement. Here is the edited version. Do you not see it on your screen?02br
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01blockquote

00the recent tendency is to invert subject and verb in an indirect question, just as if it were a direct question, forming a structure that can be called a semi-indirect question. 12blockquote

10Does that help?02br
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00 CJ0-

Kooyeen · Answer

0 Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't realize you edited your post.02br
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01blockquote

00the recent tendency is to invert subject and verb in an indirect question, just as if it were a direct question, forming a structure that can be called a semi-indirect question. 12blockquote

10Now I understand what you mean, even though it sounds strange to me. Do you mean something like this? 02br
01ol

00We still don't understand what the importance of learning grammar rules is.02li
00We still don't understand what is the importance of learning grammar rules.02li

00You mean that the tendency is to use sentences like #2? Do sentences like that really sound good? I didn't thought they were possible, I thought only sentences like #1 were natural and acceptable. But if #2 is possible too, well, that complicate matters for learners, doesn't it? 05002br
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00Thanks 051010id711id1

CalifJim · Answer

0 01blockquote

00You mean that the tendency is to use sentences like #2? Do sentences like that really sound good? I didn't thought they were possible, I thought only sentences like #1 were natural and acceptable. But if #2 is possible too, well, that complicate matters for learners, doesn't it?12blockquote

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01font00You mean that the tendency is to use sentences like #2? 02font02br
00 Yes. I hear such things all the time from native speakers.02br
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01font00Do sentences like that really sound good? 02font02br
00 Not to me! However, with a really heavy (i.e. wordy) phrase, the verb does seem to get stranded out there on the end -- and that doesn't always sound very good either!02br
00 Here's a fairly good compromise:02br
01i00We still don't understand what the importance is of learning grammar rules.02i02br
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01font00I didn't 01del~~00thought02del~~00 think they were possible, I thought only sentences like #1 were natural and acceptable. But if #2 is possible too, well, that complicate01b00s02b00 matters for learners, doesn't it?02font02br
00 I'm afraid so. I despair of ever getting students to do it correctly. There's too much interference from native speakers who consistently make the same "mistake". Well, if almost everyone is doing it that way, can it really be called a mistake?! 02br
00 At any rate, it is the shorter indirect questions that everybody seems to do correctly, so in those cases, if I were you, I would definitely stick with the correct version, e.g., 01i00I don't know what the problem is, 02i00but allow yourself some latitude for wordier constructs like 01i00I don't know what the complicated problem you discussed with the boss yesterday is02i00 (!) >> 01i00I don't know what the complicated problem is that you discussed with the boss yesterday 02i00(better), BUT >> 01i00I don't know what is the complicated problem you discussed with the boss yesterday 02i00(not good at all in my opinion, even though sometimes heard)01i00.02i02br
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00 CJ0-

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