 Diamondrg wrote: |
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What about these?
1- I'll take whoever wants to go. (Longman)
2- I'll take who wants to go.
3- I don't know who knows the truth.
4- I don't know whoever knows the truth.
What is the rule governing their use?![Thinking [*-)]](/emoticons/emotion-42.gif)
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do you think these are all correct?
In an earlier thread, CalifJim said that 4 is not correct, but I didn't get the reason. Let me quote:
| - I'll take whoever wants to go. (Longman)
is it different from
- I don't know who knows the truth |
whoever is not used in an indirect question structure.
Indirect question structure:
Who knows the truth?
I don't know. I don't know who knows the truth.
This sentence is not saying I don't know anyone who knows the truth.
CJ
I don't know who knows the truth.
we are committed to the existence of someone who knows the truth at the moment of the utterance. The identity of the knower of the truth is not known, but there is such a person. We just don't know which person it is. Here it is not a matter of waiting for some future event to reveal the identity of this knower of the truth.
CJ
Yes. It's different. And complicated. Both the differences in semantic properties of the verbs take and know and the presence or absence of a negative create complications which lead me to say these are really different cases.
I don't have a definite all-inclusive answer at this time, but I'll think about it and give a fuller response later if I can get my brain around the network of all the subtleties.
Meanwhile, as a purely tentative first shot at an explanation, I'm inclined to say that whoever can't be used after a negative without either changing the meaning of whoever or creating an anomalous sentence.
CJ
I am interested in ---- broke the machine.
A) who B) whom C) whoever D) whomever
"Who" would be the best choice....but it would be better following "interested in knowing.....
Philip
Hi, C. Clive