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Zajoman Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Word order

Interesting how every now and then I stumble at a grammar piece that should be quite obvious, yet I'm not that quite sure about it.

Which one is correct?
  1. What should be the next step?
  2. What should the next step be?
I believe 2 is, because the simplest form is "What should you do?", and the noun in our case is "next step", so it should precede the verb. Yet 1 still sounds fine to me.
  

Top answer

They're both correct, natural, and common. You can't compare "doing" and "being" in this way. "To do" is an action verb.

— Avangi

  • They're both correct, natural, and common.
  • You can't compare "doing" and "being" in this way.
  • "To do" is an action verb.
  • It takes an object.
  • "To be" is a copular veb.
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2 Answers
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They're both correct, natural, and common.

You can't compare "doing" and "being" in this way.

"To do" is an action verb. It takes an object. "To be" is a copular veb. It takes a complement. The two structures are fundamentally different.

What will be your answer?
What will your answer be?

Who will be your partner?
Who will you
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Thank you. Your answer is comprehensive.
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