I was practicing English that i came a cross the sentence " Is that spelt the same as the color" but this sentence looks like a bit odd to me so i wonder what grammar topic should i learn to understand the structure of this type of sentences ?
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2Spelt and colour are British spellings; spelled and color are American. You should be consistent.– Michael HarveyCommented Aug 24, 2021 at 18:45
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...and better to use "spelled" because to North Americans, "spelt" is a grain.– gotube ♦Commented Aug 26, 2021 at 19:35
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1What about that sentence strikes you as odd?– gotube ♦Commented Aug 26, 2021 at 19:36
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1@gotube sorry for late response. i though the question form should have been something like Do\Does + ... but i think now its question form of a passive sentence (right?) so it make more sense now.– mikeCommented Aug 30, 2021 at 8:01
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2 Answers
The sentence looks odd to me, but only because spelt is AFAIK not used in American English (the alternative spelled is used in all varieties, but spelt is used in British and perhaps other Commonwealth varieties), but color is used in American English and not British.
But grammatically it's fine: I interpret it as (in my British English) Is that spelt the same way as the colour which sounds like it? for example blue as opposed to blew.
answered Aug 24, 2021 at 18:47
English usually indicates a query or interrogative sentence by reversing the standard subject-verb order. This is a statement:
That is spelt the same as the color.
This is a question:
Is that spelt the same as the color?
("That" is a pronoun referring to some previously mentioned thing, perhaps a person's last name.)
Besides reversing the subject and verb, we also indicate a question by ending the sentence with a question mark ? when writing it down, and by inflecting our speech upward at the end when saying it out loud.
You will find more information by looking up "question structure in English" or similar search terms.
answered Aug 24, 2021 at 18:45
