The sentence in question, ‘What, then, lies behind this remarkable but apparently sincere attachment we have to our dogs?’, is an example of an OSV (Object-Subject-Verb) sentence structure in English. This structure is typically used for emphasis or stylistic purposes, and the word order is inverted, where the object ‘what’ precedes the subject ‘this remarkable but apparently sincere attachment.’
1. The Role of OSV in English Syntax
In English, questions are typically structured in the form of SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), and when forming questions, auxiliary verbs (such as ‘do,’ ‘does,’ ‘have’) generally precede the main verb. However, the sentence provided is not a standard question but a declarative statement, using an inverted word order for stylistic emphasis.
2. Is this a Question or a Statement?
The confusion arises because the structure resembles that of a question. However, the sentence is not a question in this case, as it is a declarative statement with an inverted word order. ‘What’ acts as the object, and the rest of the sentence follows the object-verb-subject structure, which can sometimes be used in statements for emphasis or to achieve a more formal or rhetorical tone.
3. The Use of ‘What’ in the Sentence
‘What’ in this sentence is not functioning as the subject but as the object of the sentence, and it introduces the main topic being discussed. In English, it is common to begin a sentence with ‘what’ when seeking to discuss the nature of something, though the inversion of the usual word order makes the sentence sound more formal or rhetorical.
4. Why Is the Auxiliary Verb Not Used After ‘What’?
In typical English questions, we would expect an auxiliary verb (such as ‘does’ or ‘is’) to come after ‘what’ in an interrogative sentence. However, in this case, the sentence is not a question but a declarative sentence. The lack of an auxiliary verb after ‘what’ is a feature of declarative sentences that use inverted word order for emphasis.
5. Conclusion: Inverted Word Order for Emphasis
In conclusion, the sentence ‘What, then, lies behind this remarkable but apparently sincere attachment we have to our dogs?’ is an example of an inverted sentence structure for rhetorical effect. While it may resemble a question, it is, in fact, a statement with an Object-Subject-Verb structure used to highlight the subject matter and make it more engaging or thought-provoking.
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