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...correct to ask "Since when does this contest exist? ...

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Question by katita
Submitted on 5/10/2004
Related FAQ: The alt.usage.english FAQ
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Is it correct to ask "Since when does this contest exist?  Shouldn't the word since be at the end of the questions like in other cases like What is this FOR?  


Answer by chazzz
Submitted on 5/11/2004
Rating:  Rate this answer: Vote
Normal UK usage is...
"How long has this contest been in existence?"

In the UK the phrase "Since when?" is almost always ironic, e.g.

Person 1. "The best cure for that is to gargle with salt water."

Person 2. "Since when are you a doctor?"

or simply "Since when?"

In either case the implication is "What do you know, dummy?"

The sentence you give is syntactically correct but not idiomatic. It would sound even more odd if the the "since" was at the end.

I don't know about US usage as I am English.

 

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