What/Which team won?

[milan2003_07]

Hello everyone,

I'm wondering about the rule for using "which" or "what" as a question-word at the beginning of a sentence. Below is the original sentence I've taken from "Oxford Grammar Course Advanced" by Michael Swan and Catherine Walter.

"What country won the last World Cup?" (this sentence is from the Grammar Book). Is it possible to use "which" here and will anything change in the meaning: "Which country won the last World Cup?"

Another sentence from the same Grammar Book: "Which team won?" Is it possible to say "What team won?"

 

[jutfrank]

It's not just possible to use 'which', it's better.

 

[milan2003_07]

OK. Is there any rule behind the usage of "which" and "what" in sentences like these?

Maybe You'll kindly provide a few examples showing the difference?

 

[jutfrank]

Is there any rule behind the usage of "which" and "what" in sentences like these?

There's no 'rule' and there's nothing special about these two example sentences. It's the normal difference between 'which' and 'what'. To put it somewhat basically: 'which' is for a closed set and 'what' is for an open set.

A set of two is the easiest way to conceive a closed set. Imagine your wife holding two dresses and asking for your opinion:

W____ dress do you prefer? This one ... or this one?

Which word goes in the gap? Why?

 

[milan2003_07]

I'm not completely sure what you mean by "open set" and "closed set". Does "closed set" mean that there is a fixed number of items we can choose from and "open set" is the case when the number of options is unlimited or not specified?

In the sentence "W____ dress do you prefer? This one ... or this one?" I would choose "which" because overall we have two options (two dresses):

"Which dress do you prefer? This one ... or this one?"

 

[Tarheel]

I'm not completely sure what you mean by "open set" and "closed set". Does "closed set" mean that there is a fixed number of items we can choose from and "open set" is the case when the number of options is unlimited or not specified?

That works for me.

 

[milan2003_07]

Imagine a situation when a group of people were discussing some scientific question. One of the group members suddenly has a brainwave and the head person immediately asks him: "What idea do you have?". Here there isn't a fixed number of ideas to choose from because this number is unbounded. I think "which" would be wrong here.

Am I right?

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, but more natural would be, "What's your idea?"

 

[jutfrank]

Does "closed set" mean that there is a fixed number of items we can choose from and "open set" is the case when the number of options is unlimited or not specified?

Yes.

In the sentence "W____ dress do you prefer? This one ... or this one?" I would choose "which" because overall we have two options (two dresses):

"Which dress do you prefer? This one ... or this one?"

Yes, right. A closed set of only two options is an ideal context to exemplify the word which.

 

[jutfrank]

Imagine a situation when a group of people were discussing some scientific question. One of the group members suddenly has a brainwave and the head person immediately asks him: "What idea do you have?". Here there isn't a fixed number of ideas to choose from because this number is unbounded. I think "which" would be wrong here.

Am I right?

Yes, right.