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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Which is correct? "I know what is at the end of the rainbow" or "I know what at the end of the rainbow is"?

I'm an Indonesian (and therefore I live in Indonesia), and recently I have been learning noun clauses in English. The task was to change the questions given to noun clauses (for example "Who is she?" to "I know who she is" or "Where does he live?" to "Tell me where he lives").

On one question, my teacher and I had a disagreement. The question was "What's at the end of the rainbow?" and my teacher told me that the answer was "I know what at the end of the rainbow is". I, on the other hand, thought the correct answer should be "I know what is at the end of the rainbow". I also thought the right sentence should be "I know what is under the table", not "I know what under the table is". The problem is, I'm not sure how to explain the exact reason.

Can anyone give me a thorough and detailed explanation for this? Thank you Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

-- S-V ('what' is object) I know what is at the end of the rainbow. -- S-V ('what' is subject)

— Mister Micawber

  • -- S-V ('what' is object) I know what is at the end of the rainbow.
  • -- S-V ('what' is subject)
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2 Answers
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Well, your teacher is certainly wrong, but I'm not sure that I can offer a thorough and detailed explanation; it is simply that such a clause follows the same S-V-O as any other clause:

Tell me where he lives.- S-V

I know what I like.-- S-V ('what' is object)

I know what is at the end of the rainbow. -- S-V ('what' is subject)
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That made perfect sense! Thank you so much! Emotion: big smile
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