phrasing in the form of a question

Frequent Questions October 25, 2016

Why Doesn’t Phrasing Have To Be Grammatically Correct on Jeopardy!?

One thing that I often see when keeping an eye on social media during Jeopardy! time is people asking: “Why are players allowed to be grammatically incorrect when phrasing in the form of a question…

Jeopardy! Masters Semi-Final Standings:
(through May 23)
1st: James Holzhauer (9 points, 3 wins, 72 correct, 51,400 Coryat, 70,000 Pre-FJ)
2nd: Matt Amodio (3 points, 1 win, 44 correct, 36,200 Coryat, 46,200 Pre-FJ)
3rd: Mattea Roach (2 points, 0 wins, 50 correct, 35,000 Coryat, 44,400 Pre-FJ)
4th: Andrew He (2 points, 0 wins, 45 correct, 33,400 Coryat, 37,600 Pre-FJ)

Jeopardy! Masters Quarter-Final Standings:
(through May 17)
1st: James Holzhauer (18 points, 6 wins, 193 correct, 152,600 Coryat, 247,805 Pre-FJ)
2nd: Andrew He (13 points, 3 wins, 131 correct, 107,000 Coryat, 121,800 Pre-FJ)
3rd: Matt Amodio (9 points, 3 wins, 115 correct, 88,800 Coryat, 112,800 Pre-FJ)
4th: Mattea Roach (8 points, 2 wins, 112 correct, 75,800 Coryat, 86,400 Pre-FJ)
5th: Amy Schneider (5 points, 0 wins, 95 correct, 66,800 Coryat, 70,800 Pre-FJ)
6th: Sam Buttrey (3 points, 0 wins, 115 correct, 70,000 Coryat, 80,600 Pre-FJ)

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular Play Only:
1. Ken Jennings $2,520,700
2. James Holzhauer $2,462,216
3. Matt Amodio $1,518,601
4. Amy Schneider $1,382,800
5. Cris Pannullo $748,286
6. Mattea Roach $560,983
7. Jason Zuffranieri $532,496
8. David Madden $430,400
9. Julia Collins $428,100
10. Matt Jackson $411,612
11. Austin Rogers $411,000
12. Ray Lalonde $386,400
13. Ryan Long $299,400
14. Arthur Chu $297,200
15. Seth Wilson $265,002
16. Ben Chan $252,600
17. Jonathan Fisher $246,100
18. Tom Nissley $235,405
19. Roger Craig $230,200
20. Hannah Wilson $229,801

All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Including Tournaments (and Consolation Prizes):
1. Brad Rutter $4,953,436
2. Ken Jennings $4,372,700
3. James Holzhauer $3,464,216
4. Amy Schneider $1,709,800
5. Matt Amodio $1,679,601
6. Mattea Roach $822,983
7. David Madden $775,733
8. Cris Pannullo $749,286
9. Larissa Kelly $661,930
10. Matt Jackson $613,612
11. Roger Craig $556,200
12. Jason Zuffranieri $544,496
13. Jerome Vered $499,102
14. Julia Collins $495,767
15. Austin Rogers $488,000
16. Ben Ingram $444,201
17. Buzzy Cohen $441,603
18. Dan Pawson $431,902
19. Alex Jacob $426,802
20. Colby Burnett $408,333
21. Sam Kavanaugh $407,202
22. Arthur Chu $398,200
23. Ray Lalonde $388,400
24. Andrew He $359,365
25. Russ Schumacher $345,800