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Is this sentence with repeated use of "what" correct?

English Language & Usage Asked on March 27, 2021

I’m a french speaker and I have a question about the use of "what" at the beginning of a sentence. Could you please tell me if the following sentences are correct?

  1. What experiences, what feelings, what problems does it come from?

  2. What feelings? What energy?

The context is about an experience in painting.

I don’t think I have to use "which" instead of "what", but I’m not sure.

One Answer

The word which is a relative pronoun used (in many cases) to distinguish one among many: "Which jacket do you prefer?"

The word what is a more generalized term that can refer to anything: "What do you want to do today?"

Therefore, "What experiences, what feelings, what problems does it come from?" is correct because it leaves open for respondents to supply any experiences, feelings, or problems they see fit. To use the word which in your examples would be unnaturally limiting.

Correct answer by RobJarvis on March 27, 2021

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