A question about a question
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  A question about a question
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Question: Which sentence is correct?
#1
How many species do exist?
#2
How many species exist?
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Author Topic: A question about a question  (Read 552 times)
solarstorm
solarstorm2012
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« on: August 02, 2012, 08:19:33 AM »

My gut is for the first sentence, but my brain says option 2.

It's a question for a subject, hence the auxiliary verb ought to be dropped, but I have never read an English interrogative clause containing a subject without an interrogative pronoun.
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Yelnoc
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2012, 09:21:14 AM »

I don't know what your second lin means, but option B is the vernacular.
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Redalgo
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« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2012, 10:10:22 AM »

Both are passable in conversation or writing, really, but the first would probably be deemed a bit awkward by other people. The second line is what I consider normal.
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H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY
Alfred F. Jones
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« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2012, 11:10:34 AM »

I don't know what your second lin means, but option B is the vernacular.
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ask_not
donavan_ed
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« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2012, 06:09:20 PM »

i say the secound.
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They put it to a vote and they just kept lying
20RP12
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« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2012, 06:36:38 PM »

Option 2
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Smid
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2012, 07:04:34 PM »

The first option rather reads like the Old Hundredth Hymn - "All people that on Earth do dwell"
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muon2
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« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2012, 04:44:38 PM »

The second choice would be the usual form. However, I could see using the first if the intent was to create emphasis; say the the first with an accent on "do". One might want to do that if the subject  that follows was contrary to conventional wisdom on the number that exist.
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