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EnglishSmith Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

What religion are you?

Greetings,
This question -What religion are you?- seems ungrammatical but I've seen it used in presumably authentic English sites, so "it must be correct".

Could someone explain why it is grammatical?
  

Top answer

EnglishSmith Could someone explain why it is grammatical? It's borderline, and it comes from grammatical statements like I'm Lutheran; I'm Jewish; I'm Buddhist . Thus, I am [name of a religion] > I am [religion] > What religion are you?

— CalifJim

  • EnglishSmith Could someone explain why it is grammatical?
  • It's borderline, and it comes from grammatical statements like I'm Lutheran; I'm Jewish; I'm Buddhist .
  • Thus, I am [name of a religion] > I am [religion] > What religion are you?
  • In the statement the name of the religion is adjectival; in the question it becomes nominal.
  • Strange transformation.
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2 Answers
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EnglishSmithCould someone explain why it is grammatical?
It's borderline, and it comes from grammatical statements like I'm Lutheran; I'm Jewish; I'm Buddhist.

Thus,

I am [name of a religion] > I am [religion] > What religion are you?

In the statement the name of the religion is adjectival; in the question it becomes nom
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What religion are you? Where I live, this question is usually considered unduly personal in most situations, and is best avoided.

Clive
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