Who was the first person to produce (something)?

[lupicatulum]

Which one of this is correct and suits the best?

A: Who was the first person to produce a lighter?
B: Who was the first person who produced a lighter?
C: Who was the first person that produced a lighter?

It is a heading, but I also use this construction in the sentence, i.e.:

"So, we might ask ourselves A/B/C"

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use A.

 

[lupicatulum]

Hmm... OK, I thought A sounds good, but yesterday you corrected my sentence "Which one of the blue expressions (if any) to use?". Why "to" doesn't fit here, and fits above?

 

[emsr2d2]

Not all the "wh-" questions (and "how" questions) attract the same construction.

 

[lupicatulum]

I get that. Let me rephrase the question; is there a rule when to use "to" (in such constructions)? Or it's just something that I have to learn by ear?

 

[Matthew Wai]

"Which one of the blue expressions (if any) to use?". Why "to" doesn't fit here, and fits above?

Because a finite verb doesn't exist there but exists in the thread title.

 

[lupicatulum]

Aaaaah... Nice Matthew! Thanks!

 

[emsr2d2]

I get that. Let me rephrase the question; is there a rule governing when to use "to" (in such constructions) (no question mark here) or [strike]it's[/strike] is it just something that I have to learn [strike]by ear[/strike] from experience?

See above.

 

[lupicatulum]

Thank you. Shouldn't (always) before "or" come comma?

 

[AirbusA321]

Should there always be a comma before "or"?
No, not always.

 

[Matthew Wai]

to learn by ear

Do you mean 'to learn by rote'──quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/rote?q=rote?

 

[lupicatulum]

You mean repetitio est mater studiorum? No, I didn't mean that...

I meant the same as "to play by ear". Learning just by listening. Music, language... How do kids learn the (mother) language? They don't sit in the classroom. They just listen and learn by ear.

How would you say that (green)?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I would say the following:

by listening

 

[lupicatulum]

:up:

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Which one of ​these is correct and works best?

A: Who was the first person to produce a lighter?
B: Who was the first person who produced a lighter?
C: Who was the first person that produced a lighter?

It is a heading, but I also use this construction in the sentence, i.e.:

"So, we might ask ourselves A/B/C"

Ugh! This is full of problems:

- If you're asking who invented the lighter, there can only be one inventor, not a first, second, or third. Different people might have invented different types of lighters, but that's not what your question asks.

- If you're asking who the first manufacturer was, that's more likely to be a business than a single person.

- If someone asks a group of people, "Does anyone here have a lighter?" and Tom is the first one to pull one out of his pocket, example A is best and example C is worst. (Never use that when you mean who. It's a common error among English speakers.)

- Example A won't quite work with your second question: So, we might ask ourselves who was the first person to produce a lighter?

It would be better to rephrase it: So, we might ask ourselves who the first person was to produce a lighter.

(It was Tom.)​

I hope that helps!

 

[Matthew Wai]

(Never use that when you mean who. It's a common error among English speakers.)

'That can be used for things and people only in defining relative clauses.'──quoted from https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/pronouns-relative.htm

 

[lupicatulum]

Ugh! This is full of problems:

- If you're asking who invented the lighter, there can only be one inventor, not a first, second, or third. Different people might have invented different types of lighters, but that's not what your question asks.​

Nope... I have that hading too: "Who invented the lighter". It's actually not about lighters, it's about one chemical compound, but I used the lighter here just as an example.

- If you're asking who the first manufacturer was, that's more likely to be a business than a single person.

Nnnope... It was a person, but then that person patented the process, built the factory and started to manufacture the product.

- If someone asks a group of people, "Does anyone here have a lighter?" and Tom is the first one to pull one out of his pocket, example A is best and example C is worst. (Never use that when you mean who. It's a common error among English speakers.)

- Example A won't quite work with your second question: So, we might ask ourselves who was the first person to produce a lighter?

It would be better to rephrase it: So, we might ask ourselves who the first person was to produce a lighter.

(It was Tom.)I hope that helps!

Of course it helps. Thank you for involving in the conversation! :up: