[Grammar] Question format

Status
Not open for further replies.

2010

Member
Joined
May 29, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
May I know, who is the manufacturer of the motorbike?

May I know, who the manufacturer of the motorbike is?

If we just say "Who is the manufacturer of the motorbike" it sounds correct to me. But, if there is a request before the question, does the question format change?

Please advice.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
May I know, who is the manufacturer of the motorbike?

May I know, who the manufacturer of the motorbike is?

If we just say "Who is the manufacturer of the motorbike" it sounds correct to me. But, if there is a request before the question, does the question format change?

Please advice.
Using "May I know" just makes it more formal in a way that is dated. Most native English speakers would just say "Who is the manufacturer..." or even more likely, "What make is..." "I have heard "May I know..." a lot in India though.
 

2010

Member
Joined
May 29, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Using "May I know" just makes it more formal in a way that is dated. Most native English speakers would just say "Who is the manufacturer..." or even more likely, "What make is..." "I have heard "May I know..." a lot in India though.

Thank you bhaisahab for your response. I would appreciate if you can tell me, which sentence is correct in my initial post and any explanation to it.

Thank you again!
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
'May I know who the manufacturer of the motorbike is?' (without the comma) is correct if you must start with May I know...?

Rover
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
'May I know who the manufacturer of the motorbike is?' (without the comma) is correct if you must start with May I know...?

Rover
What, in your opinion, is wrong with "May I know, who is the manufacturer of the motorbike"? Apart from the archaic structure.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
There are more fluent English speakers in India than there are in the UK. There are 1,000 million people in India, over 100 million speak English as a first language.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top