a challange

[udara sankalpa]

Let's say Tony Blair is the 43rd Prime Minister of England.

To get this answer,let's just say in a "Do you know contest", how can we ask the question?

Would anyone care to help me?

[Casiopea]

Welcome, udara sankalpa.

It's OK to end a sentence with a form of the verb TO BE:

[1] Do you know who I am?
[2] Do you know who your grandfather was?
[3] Do you know who the 43rd Prime Minister of England is/was?


The difference between present is and past was is reference.

If it's about a fact, then use present tense ([3]).

If it's about the past, then use past tense ([2], [3]).

Does that help?

[udara sankalpa]

Hi cas,
yes it helps, it really does. But if we are to ask the question directly without using "43" thing, is it possible?

We can ask, for instance, "What number Prime Minister was Tony Blair?

But there shoul be a better way of asking it, shouldn't there?

Cheers
udara

[BobK]

I don't see how your post applies to the question, Casi? Isn't it asking for questions like: How many PMs did the UK have before TB? [If he's the 43rd, the answer will be 42.]

That is, I think the question is about interrogative pronouns to refer to ordinals. And the answer is 'there aren't any'. You can't say 'the whatth PM is TB?'.

b

[udara sankalpa]

Hi BobK,
I'm a Sri Lankan, who started learning English at 20. But I'm heavily into it now.

Yes Bob, you hit the bulls eye. That was just what I wanted to know: but it's a bit funny, isn't it? if there arn't a pronoun to refer to that thing, and I just wonder how native speakers ask it when they want to.

cheers
udara

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

I don't see how your post applies to the question, Casi? Isn't it asking for questions like: How many PMs did the UK have before TB? [If he's the 43rd, the answer will be 42.]

That is, I think the question is about interrogative pronouns to refer to ordinals. And the answer is 'there aren't any'. You can't say 'the whatth PM is TB?'.

b

There are no interrogative pronouns for ordinals Bob but can't you ask: (In) What chronological order is (does) TB (come) as UK PM? I similarly encountered a problem with percentage: What percentage points .. and not: How much percent...? What you think?

[udara sankalpa]

Hi Dr. Ibrahim,
That's more like it. Sounds a bit formal though, you reckon?
Great many thanks

Cheers
udara

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Hi Dr. Ibrahim,
That's more like it. Sounds a bit formal though, you reckon?
Great many thanks

Cheers
udara

I gave two alternatives Udara: Use verb to be it is less formal than does...come?
Jamshid

[BobK]

Hi Dr. Ibrahim,
That's more like it. Sounds a bit formal though, you reckon?
Great many thanks

Cheers
udara

Yes, it is a bit formal. Very informally people ask 'What number PM is/was TB?' But it's not very satisfactory; and - as I said in my first post - people can get round it by asking about how many predecessors TB had

Jamshid: I would prefer 'How many percentage points...?'. In BE 'what percentage points...?' is simply wrong, but it would be possible to use some periphrasis like 'What was the percentage difference between...?'.

b

[Casiopea]

I don't see how your post applies to the question, Casi? Isn't it asking for questions like: How many PMs did the UK have before TB? [If he's the 43rd, the answer will be 42.]

My ESP is off some nights.