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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
What is the meaning vs. what the meaning is
A. Please tell me what is the meaning of the word.
B. Please tell me what the meaning is of the word.
Which of the above sentence is correct?
I'm confused about which one has the correct order. To my ear, A sounds correct because it's like simply asking a question.
B. Please tell me what the meaning is of the word.
Which of the above sentence is correct?
I'm confused about which one has the correct order. To my ear, A sounds correct because it's like simply asking a question.
Top answer
A is certainly more natural of the sentences. "Please tell me the meaning of the word," is also a natural sentence. B sounds awkward but I wouldn't say that it was grammatically wrong just awkward, although someone might analyse it further and decide it is wrong.
- A is certainly more natural of the sentences.
- "Please tell me the meaning of the word," is also a natural sentence.
- B sounds awkward but I wouldn't say that it was grammatically wrong just awkward, although someone might analyse it further and decide it is wrong.
- I would stick to A and you won't be wrong.
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8 Answers
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A is certainly more natural of the sentences.
"Please tell me the meaning of the word," is also a natural sentence.
B sounds awkward but I wouldn't say that it was grammatically wrong just awkward, although someone might analyse it further and decide it is wrong.
I would stick to A and you won't be wrong.
"Please tell me the meaning of the word," is also a natural sentence.
B sounds awkward but I wouldn't say that it was grammatically wrong just awkward, although someone might analyse it further and decide it is wrong.
I would stick to A and you won't be wrong.
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Thank you for your response. That was helpful.
1. Since A is surely correct, can we also rewrite it in quotes as follows?
Please tell me, "What is the meaning of the word?".
2. I've added another sentence. Do you think this is also natural?
C. Please tell me what the meaning of the word is.
1. Since A is surely correct, can we also rewrite it in quotes as follows?
Please tell me, "What is the meaning of the word?".
2. I've added another sentence. Do you think this is also natural?
C. Please tell me what the meaning of the word is.
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I find B a common informal utterance.
1. Please tell me, "What is the meaning of the word?"-- This seems an odd thing to write, but its structure is OK.
2. I've added another sentence. Do you think this is also natural?
C. Please tell me what the meaning of the word is.-- Yes, quite natural.
1. Please tell me, "What is the meaning of the word?"-- This seems an odd thing to write, but its structure is OK.
2. I've added another sentence. Do you think this is also natural?
C. Please tell me what the meaning of the word is.-- Yes, quite natural.
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Thank you, Mister Micawber, for your input on this.
Mister Micawber1. Please tell me, "What is the meaning of the word?"-- This seems an odd thing to write, but its structure is OK.Without the quotes, would it be correct in writing? I believe it is correct as Dave explained, but I think only in casual speech. Would you agree?
Mister
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Without the quotes, would it be correct in writing? I believe it is correct as Dave explained, but I think only in casual speech. Would you agree?-- Yes, informal.
Since C is quite natural, would you say C is more formal than B being a common informal utterance?-- Not really.
Since C is quite natural, would you say C is more formal than B being a common informal utterance?-- Not really.
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Thank you for that clarification.
He asks what is the meaning of the word. (Informal)
He asks
Mister MicawberWithout the quotes, would it be correct in writing? I believe it is correct as Dave explained, but I think only in casual speech. Would you agree?-- Yes, informal.Does it also apply to reported speech as shown below?
He asks what is the meaning of the word. (Informal)
He asks
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I'd say so, yes. Keep in mind that there are a lot of words to play with– informal, casual, natural, standard, in use, spoken, etc– which are used to try to estimate what are actually very fuzzy levels of general acceptability.
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