Why does she have that

Question

“They’re having the hardest time with this,” she said. “They’re great kids, but they’re really the worst ages for a mom to be … away from them, 12, 12, eight and seven. And 24/7 secret service protection is tough for them. It’s tough for them to think about when I’m away from them and why does she have that." (Kellyanne Conway.)

Is "why does she have that" a direct question in the above? And if so, why doesn't it end with a question mark? What does "have" mean in that why does she have that?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIs "why does she have that" a direct question in the above?

IT is supposed to be an indirect question. It's not grammatically perfect. When people talk, often a transcription is not perfect grammar because they are composing sentences "on the fly."

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymous It’s tough for them to think about when I’m away from them and (to think about) [why does she have that. / why she has that.]

Why does she have that? is the direct question. 
It's used for quoting what was said.
... why she has that is the indirect question. 
It's used for reporting what was said.

It is common in ordinary conversation for the speaker's mind to "wander" to some extent with respect to point of view. At one moment the speaker is reporting; in the next moment the speaker is quoting; then the speaker may go back to reporting again. In fact, it is so common to switch to quoting during a segment of reporting that the use of a direct question within a report has come to have a special name: semi-indirect speech.

When speaking carefully — and certainly when writing — we don't use semi-indirect speech. Even so, we have to recognize that it occurs in casual conversation fairly often.

AnonymousWhat does "have" mean in ~~that~~ "why does she have that"?

'have' means 'have', the same as always. I suspect what you really want to know is the meaning of 'that'. Why does she (K. Conway) have secret service protection?

CJ

Clive · Answer

Is "why does she have that" a direct question in the above? And if so, why doesn't it end with a question mark? Because whoever wrote this text did not write it correctly.

What does "have" mean in that why does she have that? The sentence means

"Why does she have 24/7 secret service protection?" Conway means that her children are asking or thinking this question, and worrying about her safety.

Why does she have that

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