Please choose correct version

[Anglika]

This is always one of the problems for teachers of English. The language has so many flexibilities and rule-breaking forms that sometimes it is difficult to maintain an absolute rule.

So the answer to your question is that it is true, but there can be exceptions.

[2006]

Originally Posted by Tvita

My teacher insists that the following sentence is incorrect (he said that only "what rest is" is correct in the statement ):

Different people have a different understanding of what is rest and how to spend their leisure time.

Could you please give me any relevant explanation why it is correct in order that I can explain it to him?

I agree with your teacher that "what rest is" is the better choice, and my explanation is similar to what NearThere said. Maybe your teacher has the same reason for saying only "what rest is" is correct.

"what is rest" is question grammar, and native speakers generally don't use question grammar unless they are asking a direct question. So they say things like:
a) I don't know what rest is. (a statement)
b) Tell me what rest is. (a request)
c) What is rest? (a direct question)

2006

[riverkid]

Actually, native speakers do, fairly often, use question grammar in examples like this. It's not so much a question of correct/incorrect. NearThere's explanation was/is a good one and I'd say that he/she has described the normal neutral.

When we do keep the question form, there is often an intonational shift,

Different people have a different understanding of, ... what is rest and how to spend their leisure time.

It's hard to illustrate in writing and I don't think that this is the best of examples but there's no doubt that it does happen in speech. It happens here in ESLs' questions in Ask a teacher quite a lot and it slips by mostly unnoticed by teachers/moderators.

[2006]

Originally Posted by riverkid

It happens here in ESLs' questions in Ask a teacher quite a lot and it slips by mostly unnoticed by teachers/moderators.

Some of us do notice it. In my experience with native Chinese speakers, it is very prevalent. Learning proper question grammar is part of learning good English.

2006

[riverkid]

2006: Some of us do notice it. In my experience with native Chinese speakers, it is very prevalent. Learning proper question grammar is part of learning good English.

It's reassuring to know that you're alert, 2006.

I think by 'proper', you mean normal, don't you? ESLs have to learn all the ways we ask questions. That's why they ask these questions here. We can even ask question with statements.

WE CAN even ask questions with statements?

We can even ask questions with normally positive words.

Really?

There are many ways to ask questions and not all rely on "question grammar".

[2006]

Originally Posted by riverkid

It's reassuring to know that you're alert, 2006.
You're so funny!

I think by 'proper', you mean normal, don't you? No, I mean proper basic question grammar. ESLs have to learn all the ways we ask questions. That's why they ask these questions here. We can even ask question with statements.

WE CAN even ask questions with statements?

We can even ask questions with normally positive words.

Really?

There are many ways to ask questions and not all rely on "question grammar". No one said using "question grammar" is the only way to ask a question, but it is the basic way, especially in written English.

2006