What makes ~? / What make ~?

Woongrae   Thursday, February 05, 2004, 11:14 GMT
I'm learning English as a second language. I have a question. Is it grammatically acceptable to say "What make you so sad"? I saw sentences beginning with "what make" a lot of times. Please let me know whether it's proper English or not. Thanks in advance. ^^*
nicolas   Thursday, February 05, 2004, 11:58 GMT
i do not think you can say it but i am french.
Tremmert   Thursday, February 05, 2004, 17:34 GMT
'What makes*s* you sad'
Lavoisel   Thursday, February 05, 2004, 18:41 GMT
What does Google say?

"Searched the web for 'what makes'. 
Results 1 - 10 of about 6,190,000."

"Searched the web for 'what make'. 
Results 1 - 10 of about 222,000."

When in doubt, always prefer the alternative which people seem to use most.
mjd   Thursday, February 05, 2004, 20:11 GMT
The correct choice is "what makes."
Tom   Friday, February 06, 2004, 00:20 GMT
What make is your car?
mjd   Friday, February 06, 2004, 00:47 GMT
Good one, Tom. I hadn't thought of that. In that context "what make" is correct.
Woongrae   Friday, February 06, 2004, 01:17 GMT
GamSa DeuRimMiDa. It's Korean, meaning "Thank you very much."
Jim   Friday, February 06, 2004, 03:57 GMT
"When in doubt, always prefer the alternative which people seem to use most." but not before checking how they use it. Along with sensible sentences like "Legends Are What Make This Game Great" a search of the web for "what make" turns up not only a bunch of grammatical errors but stuff like "... who gets what? make peace not war ..." too.
dd   Friday, February 06, 2004, 07:46 GMT
Legends Are What Make This Game Great?

what is the meaning? who can make it clear?
thx!!
mjd   Friday, February 06, 2004, 07:49 GMT
There is something that makes the game great. For example, in a soccer match it is the crowd, the excitement on the field and the loyalty the fans have for their teams. Thus, all of these factors make the game great.

In the game that you're referring to, it's the "legends" that make it great.

What makes the game great? Legends are what make this game great.
Myriescence   Wednesday, February 11, 2004, 18:45 GMT
'Legends are what make this game great.'

May I point out here that many grammatical purists do not approve of the use of 'what' as a relative pronoun. 'Legends make this game great' is the best alternative, completely avoiding the relative pronoun.
Tom   Thursday, February 12, 2004, 11:58 GMT
A common mistake made even by edvcated speakers of English is the vse of the letter "u" which is vtterly vnacceptable in correct English. It shovld be pointed ovt that the letter completely redvndant, as it was not vsed in Latin -- the paragon of elegance among langvages. I wovld like to vse this oppvrtvnity and vrge readers to avoid this embarrassing mistake and vse "v" instead.

Tom, the Langvage Pvndit
Lou   Thursday, February 12, 2004, 12:20 GMT
Back to 'make'/'makes'
Lou   Thursday, February 12, 2004, 12:28 GMT

Sorry, having a problem with my computer.What I wanted to say:
In the question 'What makes you sad?' the verb make needs an 's' because the tense is present simple and for the third person singular, you add 's' to the verb 'make'. An answer, for example, could be : The fact 'it' that I'm having problems with my computer makes me sad. (It makes me sad - it, third person singular.) In Tom's question, 'What make is your car?' make is a noun.Hope this helps.