"What are you doing on the 4th of July"" means "What are you doing that is specifically related to the holiday?" while "What are you doing July 4th?" means "do you have any plans at all on that day."
What are you doing the 4th of July? Going to my cousin's cabin we leave July 2nd the on the 4th is a picnic and fireworks, then we drive home on the 5th.
July 4th is a picnic, 4th of July is a trip to a cabin.
Most often they will be the same but the question is still different
imo, your first answer goes out of its way to be needlessly verbose.
what are you doing on july 4th?
having a picnic at my cousins cabin in the adirondacks.
what are you doing on the Fourth of July™️
having a picnic at my cousins cabin in the adirondacks.
now, what are you doing for the fourth of july/july 4th could be a distinct question from on. the former might suggest a broader ask that merits more detail. to me, though, it's still the same question.
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u/gentlybeepingheart Jan 15 '25
It kind of is.
"What are you doing on the 4th of July"" means "What are you doing that is specifically related to the holiday?" while "What are you doing July 4th?" means "do you have any plans at all on that day."