shirley
Which expression is right? I came across a sentence that I didn't think it right the other day. The sentence is "my mother asks my sister what is wrong with her". The problem is why we cannot say my mother asks my sister what the matter is with her.
May 4, 2015 4:28 PM
Answers · 1
1
I am a native US English speaker and this answer is from my own experience. It is not a academic answer. Both sentences are correct, but the wording of the second sentence is a bit off. I would rephrase it to say "My mother asks my sister what's the matter with her." With "what's" being a contraction of "what is". Also, I'm not sure if you're using the intended verb tense for "asks". If she did it in the past, even a few seconds ago, I would use "asked". If she is continually bugging her about it then I would use "asks" as you are.
May 4, 2015
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