What a Preposition can tell us vs What can a Preposition tell us

Both phrases are correct, but they have slightly different structures. The first phrase 'what a preposition can tell us' is a noun clause where 'what' acts as the subject. The second phrase 'what can a preposition tell us' is an interrogative sentence where 'what' is the subject and 'can' is the auxiliary verb. The choice between them depends on the context and the emphasis you want to convey.

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 1128 views

This phrase is correct and can be used in a sentence where 'what' functions as the subject of the clause.

"What a Preposition can tell us"

This phrase is used in a sentence where 'what' introduces a noun clause, and 'a preposition can tell us' is the predicate of the clause.

Examples:

What a preposition can tell us is the relationship between words in a sentence.

Show examples from the web [+]

See what a profiler can tell us.
I am unable to say what I think about this option, as no one can tell us what a moderate Taliban is.
See if they can tell us anything about the victim.
Maybe she can tell us what she knows about Noah.
She can tell us what they did to Noah.
You can tell us where Chris and Amy are.
Anything that can tell us where to look.
Maybe they can tell us where Cam was going all those nights.
Maybe the angry dad from the ballgame can tell us.
Ransone is the only one that can tell us where Reese is going.
You can tell us about it at the station.
I want everything she can tell us about Stirling Rogers.
Maybe Mr. Ward can tell us why.
Maybe they can tell us what our victim was hiding here.
And you can tell us how close we are.
It's marvelous what forensics can tell us.
It's marvelous what forensics can tell us.
These three can tell us what Krampus has planned.
This is for Alicia, so anything you can tell us.
Maybe she can tell us for sure.

This phrase is also correct and is used in an interrogative sentence where 'what' is the subject and 'can' is the auxiliary verb.

"What can a Preposition tell us"

This phrase is used in a question where the speaker is asking about the information that a preposition can provide.

Examples:

What can a preposition tell us about the sentence structure?

Show examples from the web [+]

Doctor, what can you tell us about your latest...
What can you tell us about this diamond?
What can you tell us about Daniel Mikorski.
What can you tell us about Bernstrom Kohl?
What can you tell us about Tony Delfin?
Chief, what can you tell us about Mr. Desai's involvement in the...
What can you tell us about Mickey?
What can you tell us about the Alcanivorax bacteria?
So, what can you tell us about Justin VanderHeyden?
What can you tell us about Justine Bolton?
Commander taylor, what can you tell us?
So what can you tell us about Secretariat?
What can you tell us about Roy?
So what can you tell us about this creature?
What can you tell us about her fall?
What can you tell us about the core collection?
What can you tell us about the vehicle?
What can you tell us about Nicholas Brant?
What can you tell us about Amanda?
What can you tell us about that program?

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What a Preposition can tell us vs What can a Preposition tell us