Timeline for "What is in it" vs. "what is there in it"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2015 at 18:21 | vote | accept | Englishfreak | ||
| Jun 13, 2015 at 20:11 | comment | added | user98990 | I can't recall ever encountering "what is there, inside the box?" In that construction "there" = "inside the box"; I have, however, encountered "Is there something/anything inside the box?", and the reply, "There is a toy inside the box." | |
| Jun 13, 2015 at 7:29 | comment | added | Catija | @JanusBahsJacquet And I would say that "in the box" in your example could even be set apart as a sort of appositive : "What is there, in the box, that makes you so afraid?" | |
| Jun 13, 2015 at 7:25 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | Interestingly, if the subject is the antecedent of a relative (or infinitival) clause, we are much, much more likely to use there; cf. “What is in the box?” vs. “What is there in the box that makes you so afraid?”. Or indeed when we're talking about something indefinite: “What is there inside a computer screen?” | |
| Jun 13, 2015 at 7:19 | history | answered | Catija | CC BY-SA 3.0 |