Why is the value of 1+2 equal to 3

[fenglish]

Hi,

Is the B also acceptable?

A: Why is the value of 1+2 equal to 3?
B: Why the value of 1+2 is equla to 3?

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

No.
Why the value of 1+2 is equal to 3 is not a question.

 

[fenglish]

No.
Why the value of 1+2 is equal to 3 is not a question.

When I try to google with the keyword "Why the", and then found this search result (A youtube link from CNBC):

The title of this youtube link is:

Why The World Is Running Out Of Soil

Is this CNBC title the same as the B example?

 

[5jj]

Your B example is fine as a title. It is not a question - as I said.

 

[emsr2d2]

We spend a lot of time on the forum helping people learn how to construct a question. Many learners simply write a declarative sentence and add a question mark. That's not correct (in formal grammatical English).

As 5jj indicated, sentence B works as a title. It's a shorter way of saying something like "We're going to explain why the value of one plus two is equal to three". I'm sure you can see that that's not a question. It's shortened to "Why the value of one ...".

In order to construct a Wh- question (in this case, a "Why" question), the position of the verb has to change.

Why the value of one plus two is equal to three. (Acceptable title. Not a question.)
Why is the value of one plus two equal to three? (Question)

Why my cat is green. (Acceptable title. Not a question.)
Why is my cat green? (Question)