Which is better?(2)

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Kenta

#533570 Sat, 28 Jun 08 01:13 AM

Hello. I ask you again.

Q Do I need "to"?

What's the most expensive restaurant you have ever been (to)?

A Yes.

So I have one more question.

What's the most expenseive restaurant that you have ever been to?

What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been?

These sentences are correct. And we don't have to use "that" and " where".

But someone said if I omit the word "where", I should write,

What's the most expenseive restaurant you have ever been to?

Could you explain the reason to me?

Thank you.

Kenta

Joined on Fri, Dec 21 2007

Full Member (245)

kenta

CalifJim

#533599 Sat, 28 Jun 08 03:41 AM

If you don't have any connecting word there (neither that nor where), then that is assumed, and you have to follow the grammatical rules as if that were the connector.

What's the most expensive restaurant (that) you have ever been to?

What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been?

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (16,970)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Mr Wordy

#533601 Sat, 28 Jun 08 03:53 AM

CalifJim
What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been?

You think this is OK then? That's curious; to me it sounds quite wrong.

Is this a US/UK thing perhaps?

Mr Wordy

Joined on Tue, May 27 2008

Regular Member (960)

Native British English speaker

Kenta

#533625 Sat, 28 Jun 08 06:18 AM

Really?　

What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been?

sounds odd? I've never thought of it. Then how about this?

What's the most expensive restaurant to which you have ever been?

Thank you.

Kenta

CalifJim

#533627 Sat, 28 Jun 08 06:32 AM

Mr Wordy
You think this is OK then? That's curious; to me it sounds quite wrong.

Is this a US/UK thing perhaps?

Not a US/UK thing. I doubt it anyway. I accept it only pedagogically as a contrast to the structure with or without that, which requires the to at the end. In itself, it's a dog of a sentence, I agree. It's just barely this side of grammatical to my ear. Smile

CalifJim

Cool Breeze

#533668 Sat, 28 Jun 08 09:36 AM

Mr Wordy
CalifJim
What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been?

You think this is OK then? That's curious; to me it sounds quite wrong.

I consider it bad as well. The problem comes from where and been in the same clause and the fact that a short visit is implied. Where is equal in meaning to in which:

This is the house where he lives. = This is the house in which he lives. = This is the house [that/which] he lives in.

If we use where in the original sentence, we get:

What's the most expensive restaurant where you have ever been? = What's the most expensive restaurant [~~which~~/that] you have ever been in?

Which shouldn't be used because of the superlative the most expensive but even with that the sentence seems a little odd. To is normally used with been to indicate a short visit.