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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
who for?
Hi,
- I think I'll buy some red roses...
- Who for?
- I think I'm gonna buy some plastic bottles...
- What for?
Are those reduced questions idiomatic? I never heard something like that, I usually hear the complete question...
Thank you
- I think I'll buy some red roses...
- Who for?
- I think I'm gonna buy some plastic bottles...
- What for?
Are those reduced questions idiomatic? I never heard something like that, I usually hear the complete question...
Thank you
Top answer
I would say for what and for whom .
- I would say for what and for whom .
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20 Answers
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I use "what for?" all the time. "Who for" doesn't sound nearly as natural, but "Oh yeah? For who?" does.
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Hmm, very interesting.
I see you like "For who?" instead, so I think "What for?" is just idiomatic (note: yes, just checked, my dictionary lists "what for" as an idiom, so the construction has nothing to do with grammar).
So, if you used it in a context where the idiom was not used, would you swap the two parts and say "For what?"
- I have to buy a new joypad...
- For what
I see you like "For who?" instead, so I think "What for?" is just idiomatic (note: yes, just checked, my dictionary lists "what for" as an idiom, so the construction has nothing to do with grammar).
So, if you used it in a context where the idiom was not used, would you swap the two parts and say "For what?"
- I have to buy a new joypad...
- For what
00
I find all of these abbreviated questions completely natural.
Who to? (Who did you give it to?)
Who from? (Who did you get it from?)
Who with? (Who are you going with?)
Who for? (Who are you buying it for?)
With what I think I usually reverse: To what? From what? With what? For what?
But What with? (e.g., What d
Who to? (Who did you give it to?)
Who from? (Who did you get it from?)
Who with? (Who are you going with?)
Who for? (Who are you buying it for?)
With what I think I usually reverse: To what? From what? With what? For what?
But What with? (e.g., What d
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CalifJimI find all of these abbreviated questions completely natural.Thank you Jim.
Who to? (Who did you give it to?)
Who from? (Who did you get it from?)
Who with? (Who are you going with?)
Who for? (Who are you buying it for?)
And you don't swap the two parts when you use "who"? Like:
From who?
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I might occasionally do that, but not often, because to me it sounds like a failed attempt to use the prescriptively correct forms From whom? For whom? With whom?
(In ordinary conversation I avoid anything that requires whom, and anything that even suggests it.
(In ordinary conversation I avoid anything that requires whom, and anything that even suggests it.
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Thank you again Jim.
Yes, "whom" should be avoided in normal conversation...
It's strange, GG said that "For who?" sounded more natural to her than "Who for?", but you would prefer "Who for?"...
Now I really don't know what to say!
Should I use both forms alternatively? With "what", it sounds better when "what" is at the end ("with what", "for what", etc.), apart from the idi
Yes, "whom" should be avoided in normal conversation...
It's strange, GG said that "For who?" sounded more natural to her than "Who for?", but you would prefer "Who for?"...
Now I really don't know what to say!
Should I use both forms alternatively? With "what", it sounds better when "what" is at the end ("with what", "for what", etc.), apart from the idi
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Hi all
If I may **** in, I'd like to say that as far as sounding natural is concerned, I agree with Jim completely. Maybe Californian English and Helsinki English have something in common after all.
If I may **** in, I'd like to say that as far as sounding natural is concerned, I agree with Jim completely. Maybe Californian English and Helsinki English have something in common after all.
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CalifJimI find all of these abbreviated questions completely natural.
Who to? (Who did you give it to?)
Who from? (Who did you get it from?)
Who with? (Who are you going with?)
Who for? (Who are you buying it for?)
With what I think I usually reverse: To what? From what? With what? For what?
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From the grammarians at another forum:
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Of course, "From whom" is formal, while "who from" is informal and conversational.
I can imagine this:
A: We got a wedding invitation today?
B: Oh, from whom?
A: Those people we met last year on the cruise.
Even though "from whom" is a little formal here, and "who from" would work equally w
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Of course, "From whom" is formal, while "who from" is informal and conversational.
I can imagine this:
A: We got a wedding invitation today?
B: Oh, from whom?
A: Those people we met last year on the cruise.
Even though "from whom" is a little formal here, and "who from" would work equally w
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