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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Which or what
Which or what

ueslteacher
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Which or what
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Hello, fellow-teachers:)Could you help? I came across this weird sentence in Enterprise2 test booklet you have to complete with who, which or where: A toothbrush is something... you clean your teeth with. C �mon? Shouldn �t there be another choice of what, or shouldn �t the sentence be different: A toothbrush is something ... cleans teeth? So, am I right or wrong? Sophia |
16 Mar 2011
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pilarmham
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Dear Sophia,
A toothbrush is something which / that you clean your teeth with.
Another way of saying the same is:
A toothbrush is something with which you clean your teeth. (that is not possible here)
A toothbrush is something which / that cleans teeth is correct too, but notice there is no preposition here!
What means "the object(s) that...", for example:
A toothbrush is what you need to clean your teeth.
Hope this helped a bit! |
16 Mar 2011
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Eibe
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Do the instructions require writing the relative pronoun, or is omission also accepted?
A toothbrush is something you clean your teeth with.
you clean your teeth with =Contact clause
In defining relative clauses, omission of the relative pronoun is more common whenever it is used as object.
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17 Mar 2011
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