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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
What/which more/better
Please could you advise me on the correct use of "which" and "what", "more" and "better".
"Which season do you like the best?"
"What season do you like the best?"
also
"I like tea more than coffee."
"I like tea better than coffee."
Lastly, to the question "When is your Mother`s birthday?"
which is the correct reply (assuming she was born on June 23rd!)
"June 23rd."
"It`s June 23rd"
"It`s on June 23rd."
"Which season do you like the best?"
"What season do you like the best?"
also
"I like tea more than coffee."
"I like tea better than coffee."
Lastly, to the question "When is your Mother`s birthday?"
which is the correct reply (assuming she was born on June 23rd!)
"June 23rd."
"It`s June 23rd"
"It`s on June 23rd."
Top answer
Hello! 1. You want to use "which" when the choice is restricted: there are only four seasons, so it'll be "which".
- Hello!
- 1.
- You want to use "which" when the choice is restricted: there are only four seasons, so it'll be "which".
- You used it perfectly well in your third question: which (among the 3 examples) is the correct reply.
- 2.
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5 Answers
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Hello!
1. You want to use "which" when the choice is restricted: there are only four seasons, so it'll be "which". You used it perfectly well in your third question: which (among the 3 examples) is the correct reply.
2. I find the first sentence a bit awkward; I would expect something like "than anything in the world" after more. You can also say: I prefer tea to coffee.
1. You want to use "which" when the choice is restricted: there are only four seasons, so it'll be "which". You used it perfectly well in your third question: which (among the 3 examples) is the correct reply.
2. I find the first sentence a bit awkward; I would expect something like "than anything in the world" after more. You can also say: I prefer tea to coffee.
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I'd like to add that "more" requires a complement (more than ...); if there's none, you use "better"
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A simple 'June 23rd' works for me, but we must remember that this is a casual spoken dialogue, and it would be impossible to set any of your answers above the others in terms of 'correctness'-- they all work fine, as do 'the 23rd of June', 'the 23rd' (if it is currently June), etc.
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An alternative answer:
I would myself probably say 'what' here, though 'which' is fine, as Pieanne says:
1. Which season do you like (the) best?
What season do you like (the) best?
And I can imagine saying either of these, if I had to state a preference (which I hope I won't have to do):
2. I like tea more than coffee.
I like tea better than coff
I would myself probably say 'what' here, though 'which' is fine, as Pieanne says:
1. Which season do you like (the) best?
What season do you like (the) best?
And I can imagine saying either of these, if I had to state a preference (which I hope I won't have to do):
2. I like tea more than coffee.
I like tea better than coff
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"what" vs. "which" = 'identify" vs. 'choose'
No choice is implied. At least no context is given by which we might infer a choice, so by default the question asks us to identify something.
"What season do you like best?"
An addressee with an imaginative turn of mind will not be content with a restriction to the four standard seasons of the year. "I like income tax s
No choice is implied. At least no context is given by which we might infer a choice, so by default the question asks us to identify something.
"What season do you like best?"
An addressee with an imaginative turn of mind will not be content with a restriction to the four standard seasons of the year. "I like income tax s
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