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I am very confused regarding the use of What/how/etc. do you think ... as questions.

e.g.:

  1. What do you think is my name?
  2. What do you think my name is?

and,

  1. How do you think it is done?
  2. How do you think is it done?

and also,

  1. Does anyone remember how we connected to the server?
  2. Does anyone remember how did we connect to the server?

Can you please elaborate with grammatical rules?

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2 Answers 2

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When asking a question like this, think of how you would answer the question.

Correct:

[What do you think] [my name is]?

The answer is, "[My name is] Keiki."

[How do you think] [it is done]?

The answer is, "[It is done] like this."

[Does anyone remember how] [we connected to the server]?

The answer is, "[We connected to the server] like this."

Incorrect:

[What do you think] [is my name]?

"[Is my name] Keiki," is another question, not an answer.

[How do you think] [is it done]?

"[Is it done] like this," is another question, not an answer.

[Does anyone remember how] [did we connect to the server]?

"[Did we connect to the server] like this," is another question, not an answer.

I can't tell you the technical term for why this is correct, and like all rules, there are probably exceptions, but I think it's pretty easy to remember like this.

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Let's consider your first sentence -

Changing it into assertive sentence it looks like this -

You think Tom is my name.

what is the substitute of Tom.

You think what is my name.

Now change it into interrogative sentence -

What do you think is my name?

Another way to say this sentence is -

You think my name is Tom.

You think my name is what.

Now changing it into interrogative sentence -

What do you think my name is? (In my opinion this is better)

[Name are usually not people, so it's what, not who.]

Consider your second sentence - (Changing it into assertive sentence)

You think it is done in a careful way.

how is the substitute of in a careful way

You think it is done how.

Inverting subject-verb to form a question -

How do you think it is done?

I think the following sentence is wrong -

*How do you think is it done? (INCORRECT)

Your third sentence. Changing it into assertive sentence -

Anyone remembers we connected to the server in a difficult way.

Forming question -

Does anyone remember how we connected to the server?

The following sentence is incorrect -

*Does anyone remember how did we connect to the server? (INCORRECT)

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    The anyone in your last few examples is a negative polarity item. It can appear in negation: "I didn't see anyone (at all)." And in questions: "Did you see anyone (at all)?" But not: *"I saw anyone." You can use someone instead: "I saw someone."
    – user230
    Apr 10, 2015 at 17:56
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    @snailboat nods. What I was trying there in these sentences is to retain almost the same words for demonstration purpose. So that shifting the wh-words and inverting the subject-verb arrangement a question can be formed.
    – Man_From_India
    Apr 11, 2015 at 3:15

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