First
of all, thank you for you comments and help.
I would
like to know when we should say what and when we should say
which. Why do you use what and which in this
example instead of only what?
It
is difficult to know what idioms are in fashion and which
are not.
Roger
Woodham replies:
which
/ what
What
and which are interchangeable in your example Telma. Both
what or which would fit in both places with little
or no difference in meaning. Often what and which
are used for the sake of variety. The same is true in these examples
of direct and indirect questions:
Which
/ What would you say are the most polluted cities in the
world and which / what are the cleanest?
Do
you know which / what sort of plants grow best in
a shady garden?
I've
no idea which / what road to take to Jimmy's place.
~ What / which route did you take?
However,
when we are choosing between just two or three options, we usually
prefer which. If there is no limit to the number of choices,
what is used. Compare the following:
What
would you like in your sandwiches? I've got cheese or tuna. Which
would you prefer?
He
comes from Glasgow, but do you know which football team
he supports?
~ I think it's Celtic, but it may be Rangers. I'm not sure. What
/ which football team do you support?
What
is your postal / email address?
What's
your opinion on this?
Which
TV channel is the tennis on?
what
/ which - before nouns
Before
nouns what and which can be used interchangeably to
ask questions about people or things:
What
/ Which colour trousers would you like? Brown, green, blue,
orange or maroon?
Which
/ What writers have made the biggest impression on you?
which
- before 'one' and 'of'
However,
if we wish to use the which of or which one constructions,
our choice is limited to which:
Which
of these cars are you interested in driving?
Which
ones should I choose?
Which
of these teams do you think will win the championship?
Which
one of us is going to make the presentation?
who
/ what / which - without nouns
Note
that when these words are used as pronouns with no nouns immediately
following, we usually use who when referring to people:
Who
do you think will win the championship?
Who
will take over as captain if both Keane and Beckham are injured?
Who
are you going out with now? Is it Leslie or Keith?
Which
footballer would you like to go out with?
However,
if we are trying to identify certain people out of a group of people
(e.g. in a photograph or in a crowded room), we use which,
which is similar in use to which one(s):
Which
(one) is your boyfriend?
~ The one (who is) sitting next to Fiona.
I
need to know which (of these) children have not been vaccinated.
If
we are asking about someone's job or function, we can use what
or which:
What
/ Which would you rather be - a general doctor or a specialist
of some kind?
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
