From the given options, which sentence/sentences is/are grammatically incorrect:
(A) What are you looking at?
(B) At what are you looking at?
(C) About what are you reading about?
(D) What are you reading about?
(E) For whom are you searching for?
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (B), (C) and (E) Only
Prepositions in "wh-" questions:
- A preposition that goes with the question word can stand in one of two places:
- At the end (everyday English): "What are you looking at?"
- At the front, before the question word (formal English): "At what are you looking?"
- The preposition is used only once. Putting it both at the front and at the end repeats it, and the question becomes incorrect.
Example: To whom did you give the keys?
(A) What are you looking at? — Correct.
- The preposition at comes once, at the end.
(B) At what are you looking at? — Incorrect.
- At is used twice, before "what" and again at the end.
- Correct form: What are you looking at?
(C) About what are you reading about? — Incorrect.
- About is used twice.
- Correct form: What are you reading about?
(D) What are you reading about? — Correct.
- The preposition about comes once, at the end.
(E) For whom are you searching for? — Incorrect.
- For is used twice.
- It should be "For whom are you searching?" or "Whom are you searching for?"
- Correct form: Whom are you searching for?