what

1.What is he? 是问那个人的职业或身份，它的答语该是He is a professor of physics或He is the governor等，不该是He is George P. Temple或He is my brother等。

2.下面各句里的what作whatever解：

• I gave him what help（或books）I could.
• I gave him what little help I could.
• He used to save what little money he earned.
• What little he does do he does very carefully.

上面各句里的what可以改作the。

3.What is required is a good book里当然用is。What is required is some good books里也该用is，不该用are，因为那表语books虽然是复数，那主语What却是单数。注意What后面用is。

下面每组里的两句都可以说：

• What is required is some good books.
  What are required are some good books.
• He reads only what is called good books.
  He reads only what are called good books.

但第一组里的第一句比第二句好，第二组里的第二句比第一句好，因为下面第一组里的第一句比第二句好，第二组里的第二句比第一句好：

• The thing that is required is good books.
  The things(或books) that are required are good books.
• He reads only the thing that is called good books.
  He reads only those things(或books) that are called good books.

4.下面两句都不可说：

• I do not know what he is and does.
• This is what is generally known and you should know.

第一句里的what是表语，属于主格，同时是does的宾语，属于宾格，所以不对，该在and后面加上what he。第二句里的what是is known的主语，属于主格，同时是should know的宾语，属于宾格，所以不对，该在and后面加上what，或把is generally known改作most people know。

5.I do not know what he is and does里的what不但同时用在主格和宾格，而且指两个不同的事物。I do not know what he likes and dislikes里的what虽然并不用在两个不同的格，却指两个不同的事物，所以也不对，该在and的后面加上what he。

6.下面四句都不可说：

• He is the author of what is the best, and which is certainly the most popular, of English grammars.
• This book discusses much of what is apparently right but which is really wrong.
• I can never be certain that I am receiving what I want and for which I am paying.
• You had better write about what you know and in which you take a keen interest.

第一句和第二句里的which该删去。第三句里的for which I am paying该改作am paying for。第四句里的in which you take a keen interest该改作take a keen interest in。

7.what=that（或those）which。下面两句都不可说：

• What I am interested in you may not be interested.
• What I am interested in regard to this matter has nothing to do with you.

第一句该在句末加上in，否则what里的that没有着落，第二句该在interested后面加上in（原来的in把regard做宾语），否则what里的which没有着落。

8.He asked me what I wanted里的what是疑问代词，He gave me what I wanted里的what是关系代词，He not only asked but also gave me what I wanted里的what同时做疑问代词和关系代词，所以不对。He not only asked me what I wanted but also gave me what I wanted当然不错，但很不自然，可以把第二个what I wanted改作the thing。

9.关系代词what有时泛指下文所讲的话。例如：

• He went, and, what is more surprising, actually won the prize.
• I have the letter, and, what's more, I mean to keep it.

这样用法的what现在不及which普通，参见which 11

10.注意下面每组的第一句里有a，第二句里没有a：

• What a fool he is!(他是何等的呆子!)
  What fool has done it?(哪个呆子做了这件事?)
• I did not know what a fool he was.(我不曾知道他是怎样一个呆子。)
  I did not know what fool had done it.(我不曾知道哪个呆子做了这件事。)

11.不可说All what I can say is this，该把what改作that，参见all 9

12.and what not（以及其他）前面通常用两个或两个以上的名词。例如：He sent me books, magazines, newspapers, pictures, and what not. 但有时前面用的是形容词而不是名词。例如：They were then generally dirty, ignorant, superstitious, and what not. 偶尔不用and而用or。

13.What if he does not come? 可能有两个意思：“假使他不来，怎么办呢？”或“即使他不来，有什么关系？”

14.关于what和which的不同，参见which 13