"Know who is that person" vs "know who that person is"

Asked Jan 02 '17 at 10:14

Active Jan 02 '17 at 11:05

Viewed 867 times

Is it:

I would like to know who is that person he is speaking to.

or:

I would like to know who that person he is speaking to is.

I am confused as to which sentence structure is grammatically accurate. Or are both sentences correct?

asked Jan 02 '17 at 10:14

1

The first one is wrong since it exhibits subject-auxiliary inversion, which subordinate interrogative clauses (aka embedded questions) do not normally have. The meaning is "I would like to know the answer to the question 'Who is that person he is speaking to?'" – BillJ Jan 02 '17 at 10:50
@BillJ But such sentences are grammatical for some speakers - at least according to CamGEL ... – Araucaria - Not here any more. Jan 02 '17 at 13:27

0 Answers0