It remains a mystery where the movie star lives.

Status
Not open for further replies.

z7655431

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
Taiwan
Current Location
Taiwan
Can "it" (dummy subject) collocate with "wh-infinitives"? I know that "wh-clauses" can be moved to the end of a sentence by using "it" as a dummy subject.

For example:
Where the movie star lives remains a mystery.
--> It remains a mystery where the movie star lives.

What about "wh-infinitives"? (I know it's OK to just use infinitives)
1. Where to meet him is not decided yet.
1a. It is not decided yet where to meet him.

2. What to do tomorrow is still unknown.
2a. It is still unknown what to do tomorrow.

Are the two sentences (1a, 2a) natural and correct?

For me, they seem odd because I can only find "wh-infinitives" to be used as an object in structures like "ask, know...+ wh-infinitives". Why?
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
1a is grammatical and I can just about imagine someone using it.
2a is technically grammatical but so unnatural that I can't imagine anyone using it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top