word order - "Why is this not" versus "why is not this"


Should I use "why is this not" or "why is not this?"


Or are both correct?



Answer



The usual order is "Why is this not [ready yet]?" Inverting it to "Why is not this [rose in bloom]?" might be possible in poetry, but it sounds awkward at best in everyday usage.


Note: awkward at best is a euphemism for incorrect.


Edit: you didn't ask about it, but for completeness I thought I'd mention that "Why isn't this [all over the internet]?" is perfectly fine; indeed, it's probably the most common choice, despite the fact that expanding the contraction results in precisely the why is not this construction criticized above. (Contractions are like that.)


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