Hello. Please help me with a few language problems.
1) Do you think it's possible to say: "What book is your favourite? What music is your favourite?" (The dictionary says "favourite" is used after nouns only (What is your favourite book?), but I guess I heard the sentences somewhere; maybe, there are wrong.)
2) Help me with articles, please, in the context "Parliament is now discussing a date for the / a new election" (it's about early elections).
Thank you for all your help.
1. Yes, your examples are correct.
2. Probably a new election is better, although the new election is also right.
Is "favourite" a word? looks like it should be "favorite"...
Dahntai -- In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the word is spelled "favourite." It's only Americans who omit the "u."
Please be sure of your facts before you comment here.
Hello! I'd be happy to help you with your language problems.
1) Regarding your first question, both forms of the sentence you provided are grammatically correct, but they have slightly different meanings.
"What book is your favourite?" is a direct question asking for the specific title or name of the book that is someone's favorite. This form is commonly used when discussing books or other media individually.
"What is your favourite book?" is a more general question asking about someone's favorite book in general. This form is commonly used when discussing preferences or tastes in a more broad sense.
Similarly, for music, you can say both "What music is your favorite?" and "What is your favorite music?" using the same distinction.
Although the use of "favorite" after nouns is more common, it is not incorrect to use it before the noun in these specific questions. So, both sentence structures are grammatically acceptable.
2) In the context of discussing a new election, the choice between using "a" or "the" depends on the specific context of the conversation.
"Parliament is now discussing a date for a new election" implies that a new election is being discussed as a general topic or possibility, without reference to any specific election that has been mentioned before.
On the other hand, "Parliament is now discussing a date for the new election" implies that a specific new election has been previously mentioned or has already been established in the context of the conversation.
So, the decision to use "a" or "the" depends on whether the election is being discussed as a general topic or as a specific event.
I hope this explanation helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.