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It feels a little weird for me (or should I say to me?) to say:

So my question is, is having two 'Is' correct?

And also this seems to me incorrect grammatically:

So my question is, is having two 'Is' is correct?

Are any of the above grammatically correct? Is there a better way to ask the question in the examples?

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4 Answers 4

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It's ok to repeat words sometimes. The sentence makes sense. If you're writing then you can re-word it to eliminate any chance of confusion or any semblance of impropriety, but for speaking it's fine.

My question is: Is having two "is"es correct?

is grammatically equivalent to

My question is: Are two "is"es allowable?

the first part introduces the second part and it's pretty clear which words belong to which parts. But if you're uncomfortable with it, re-word it.

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  • 4
    "He told me that that turtle is a hundred years old!"
    – Mateen Ulhaq
    Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 20:55
  • 1
    that "that that" example is an example for that that I like!
    – Eran Medan
    Commented Apr 4, 2011 at 8:22
  • 2
    That that that that that user uses uses that that that usefully.
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Mar 8, 2013 at 4:10
  • @SvenYargs, I think you need to switch the second "that" with the fourth...
    – Karl
    Commented Nov 29, 2016 at 12:37
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I'd just get rid of the "So my question is," and simply state the question.

This removes unnecessary words, makes it more direct (which is good, unless you're [unconsciously] trying to avoid asking the question), and generally doesn't irritate impatient people who love to say, "Spit it out already!".

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  • What about the people who don't love to say 'Spit it out already'. Asking the question directly sounds somewhat rude.
    – Kartik Chauhan
    Commented Oct 7, 2019 at 19:49
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I assume you are using

My questions is...

to emphasise your point after someone has misunderstood your question.

If that is the case, you could go for

I am asking if...

This would need further rewording for the remainder of the sentence. Observe below:

A: Is the monkey related to the panda?

B: The panda eats Bamboo whereas the Monkey eats Bananas.

A: I am asking if the monkey is related to the panda. (My question is, is the monkey related to the panda) you can see how the verb 'to be' has moved from the beginning of the clause - where it would be placed in a direct question - to follow the subject as it is now a reported/indirect question.

A: Oh, I'm sorry. The answer is no.

I hope this helps.

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Well, a grammatically valid form would probably be ...Is having two "is"'s correct?, or in writing, with font control, maybe ...Is having two is's correct?

But anything like that is always going to sound ungainly. I'd just ask Is it ok to have 'is' twice?

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