grammar argument!!

[Alison]

Ok, I have to ask about this one. English is not my mother tongue, so I'm intrigued, and would like to know why this is so, as I would have thought the way to phrase that question should be "When will your birthday be?"

No, you're defo not supposed to end sentences with "be", remember my dad getting very stressed about it when we were kids.

[mapcr77]

No, you're defo not supposed to end sentences with "be", remember my dad getting very stressed about it when we were kids.

So what about:

Oh dear what can the matter be?
Oh dear what can the matter be?
Oh dear what can the matter be?
Johnnie's so long at the fair.

He promised to bring me a basket of posies,
A garland of lilies, a garland of roses,
A little straw hat to set off the blue ribbons
That tie up my bonnie brown hair.

?????? Now I'm more confused!!!

[Paul Wagland]

"Oh dear what can be the matter" doesn't scan very well.... poetic license innit?

[allotmentlady]

Wann ist Ihr Geburtstag? Or Wann ist es Ihr Geburtstag? Either really, does it matter? LOL.

[Paul Wagland]

Ok, I have to ask about this one. English is not my mother tongue, so I'm intrigued, and would like to know why this is so, as I would have thought the way to phrase that question should be "When will your birthday be?"

I'm not sure about this one, but "When will your birthday be?" certainly sounds clumsy, and it could be read as "When will your birthday exist?" which would be the wrong meaning of "be".

Also "will be" is the future tense of "be", and it would seem odd to separate the two parts of the verb with a noun in this way. You could however say "When will your birthday be celebrated this year?" (where "will be" is separated again) but only because the word "celebrated" qualifies the sentence...

Nobody ever said English was easy!

[Paulottie]

I cannot remember any reason that one should not end a sentence with the participle or the infinitive 'be.' Whereas one definitely shouldn't end one with a preposition. Although this also may be taken to ridiculous lengths. The famous example is attributed to Churchill who said "The ending of a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.

In addition the infinative should never be split. eg. "To boldly go where no man has gone before"

[SarzWix]

Or in Sunderland "Wheese keese are theese?"

[fiveravens]

My ol' grammar never could remember when my birthday was...

[Paulottie]

My ol' grammar never could remember when my birthday was...

cue: drumroll..cymbal....and tumbleweed!

[TonyF]

The French have a more elegant way - Bonne Anniversaire - happy anniversary - sort of sorts out the grammar a treat!

[Nicos]

'Rural' English of old....

" When be yr bithdy?"



Ooh arrh.....

[mapcr77]

Well, in Spanish it would be "cuando es tu cumpleanos?", there is no translation for cumpleanos, but it means something like year-completing, so in itself it means that your cumpleanos is your birth-date anniversary! As for asking when was your birthday, you'd have to ask what day where you born, so yes, it sounds like a plot by the English to confuse us all!

[lainey lou]

ain't no point aaaskin' me i's 'rom zummerset.

[allotmentlady]

ain't no point aaaskin' me i's 'rom zummerset.

LOL..............

[Paulottie]

Whale lainey lou, sciderr I up then myer luverrr.