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Which is incorrect. (When/Why) is it that no one listens to me anymore?
Question from a book written by a Chinese writer:
Question: ______ is it that no one listens to me anymore?
(a)When (b)Did (c)Why (d)Do
the book gives me "(a)When" as the only answer based on the Semantic meaning (context)
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But I think "(a)When and (c)Why" are all possible and correct.
In my opinion
They are all CLEFT SENTENCES.
1. It is WHY that no one listens to me anymore.= No one listens to me anymore because ...
2. It is WHEN that no one listens to me anymore. =No one listens to me anymore (by the time).
If there is anything wrong in my opinion, please help to correct. Thank you for your attention.
Sep 22, 2019 5:53 PM
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Answers · 24
The answer is absolutely "why," and really can't be "when." "Why is it that no one listens to me anymore?" is a completely natural English sentence. As Lackadai says, it would be /possible/ to imagine someone asking about the specific times when no one listens to them, but a) this would be a very strange thing to ask, b) this would be a very awkward way to ask that question, and c) even if you did ask the question "when," you would have to remove the word "anymore" in order for the question to be grammatically correct.
I agree with Bramwell -- the book you're using seems to have some serious mistakes. It would be better to find a different book to learn from, if possible.
September 22, 2019
This should be:
Why is it that no one listens to me anymore?
(Here the person speaking is asking for the reason)
With "when" it would only work if you port it like this:
Since when does no one listen to me anymore?
(The focus is here on when they listening stopped).
Or:
When no one listens to me anymore ...
September 22, 2019
@Dear Gray: I don't know why and how your (and my )whole reply disappear. It's a pity that all meaningful information can't be left to someone who may need this in the future.
September 27, 2019
@Cristiano Sorry I didn't get your point. Would you mind to explain more? Thank you for your reply anyway.
September 23, 2019
@Bramwell Thank Gray and your advice.
There are 2 wrong out of 3, from all 3 questions I recently raised from the same book. I think I will/should read other books to learn from instead.
September 23, 2019
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