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Why China has less population than India?

Shouldn't it be like:

Why has China less population than India?

OR

Why do China has less population than India?

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3 Answers 3

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English is dependent on word order to get meaning across.

We simply do not form questions that way (note, the clause structure would be fine as a declarative, such as the title of a book or article).

Instead we would structure the question this way, most commonly in American English:

Why does China have less population than India?

The following is also grammatical, but I'd never say it like this:

Why has China less population than India?

The second one sounds British or old fashioned.

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  • @Rathony We welcome you back and expect you to contribute in a fair way using better words. 'I don't think so...'; 'I'd disagree...' are preferable over 'You are wrong!'
    – Maulik V
    Dec 5, 2015 at 4:53
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    The funny thing, @MaulikV, is that Had lunch? depends on word order and it is not ungrammatical.... (Maybe you are familiar with the advertising slogan Got milk?) Anyway, the user has had her/his account suspended again, this time for a month.
    – user20792
    Dec 5, 2015 at 5:14
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  1. Word order in interrogative sentences is different - not the usual Subject-Verb-Auxillary-Object but Verb-Subject-Auxillary-Object. "Auxillary" here is the second (and third if applicable) word of any verb that has an auxillary or helping verb.

I was throwing a brick.

Was I throwing a brick?

  1. Interrogative sentences normally use do + verb unless the verb is to be or the verb uses have as an auxillary. Per above, the subject will come between do and the verb as you can see below:

I am awesome.

Am I awesome? (verb is to be so do not needed)

She ran away quickly.

Did she run away quickly?

He had ran away very quickly.

Had he ran away very quickly? (have is an auxillary in to have run so do not needed)

I have 3 marbles.

Do you have 3 marbles? (have is NOT an auxillary so do is needed)

Have you 3 marbles? (Agree with @NES, sounds very formal, British or old fashioned)

I went to the park.

When did I go to the park? (second words in auxillary verbs do not change with the first word)

China has less population than India.

Why does China have less population than India.

They had been walking for 2 hours.

Had they been walking for 2 hours? (have is an auxillary in have been walking so do not needed)

  1. Note that "China" is a singular noun so it takes singular verbs.
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None of your alternatives is correct. For a start: population is not more/less, it is higher/lower.

Secondly, none of the three sentences uses a valid interrogative form. The only valid one is does + have in this case (because, as someone already pointed out, in this case "have" is not auxillary), not do + has. The third person goes in the auxillarry verb, i.e:

Why does China have a lower population than India?

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  • Why has China less population than India? is a valid interrogative structure.
    – user20792
    Dec 1, 2015 at 17:02
  • Thank you. One more question. Should I used gerund with "comfortable" in this sentence: I'm not comfortable using complex words and sentences. ? (I want to use "use" verb only).
    – Vikas
    Dec 1, 2015 at 18:08
  • I'm not comfortable using complex words and sentences is fine.
    – user20792
    Dec 1, 2015 at 23:38

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