Are these sentences natural? January 27

[musicgold]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?


1. Is there a number I can call this office at?

2. Was it the NBA draft last night?

3. This sport is not about hitting the ball hardest. In fact sometimes by hitting the ball too hard you are helping your opponent.

Thanks,

MG.

[billmcd]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?


1. Is there a number I can call this office at ?

2. Was it the NBA draft last night?

3. This sport is not about hitting the ball the hardest. In fact sometimes by hitting the ball too hard you are helping your opponent.

Thanks,

MG.

b.

[emsr2d2]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?


1. Is there a number I can call this office at?
Initially, I went with Bhaisahab's response and was going to simply delete "at" but the more I look at it, the more I don't think I would say "Is there a number I can call this office?". I would say:
"Is there a number I can call this office on?"
That stems from the fact that I would say "You can call us on 800-222-5555". However, I think in AmE, it might be "You can call us at 800-222-5555". An AmE speaker will have to clarify whether that can be turned into the interrogative.

2. Was it the NBA draft last night?
I think this is fine. However, so is "Was the NBA draft last night?" meaning "Did the NBA draft happen last night?"
In BrE, if I wanted to know, for example, if my favourite TV show had been shown the night before, I would ask my flatmate "Was it Doctor Who last night?"

3. This sport is not about hitting the ball the hardest. In fact sometimes by hitting the ball too hard you are helping your opponent.

Thanks,

MG.

See above.

[billmcd]

See above.

1. Is there a number I can call this office at?
Initially, I went with Bhaisahab's response and was going to simply delete "at" but the more I look at it, the more I don't think I would say "Is there a number I can call this office?". I would say:
"Is there a number I can call this office on?"
That stems from the fact that I would say "You can call us on 800-222-5555". However, I think in AmE, it might be "You can call us at 800-222-5555". An AmE speaker will have to clarify whether that can be turned into the interrogative.

You would seldom/never hear "on" in this context in AmE. However, you would hear both "on" and "at" as in "You can call us on/at extension 231"


2. Was it the NBA draft last night?
I think this is fine. However, so is "Was the NBA draft last night?" meaning "Did the NBA draft happen last night?"
In BrE, if I wanted to know, for example, if my favourite TV show had been shown the night before, I would ask my flatmate "Was it Doctor Who last night?"

Well, again in AmE, "it" might occasionally be used in reference to when the draft occurred, but not usually. However, if one was inquiring whether it was the NBA draft or the NHL draft, then "it" would most likely be used.

3. This sport is not about hitting the ball the hardest. In fact sometimes by hitting the ball too hard you are helping your opponent.

[musicgold]

Thanks folks.