The Grammar Logs -- Number One Hundred, Three

The
Grammar
Logs
# 103

Question What importance do have the euphemism in a new language? What is the most easy or quick way to learn English? What do you recommend to me to do not feel shame when I want to speak English in front of Mexican people?
Source & Date
of Question Douglas, Arizona
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response A euphemism -- such as saying that someone has "passed away" when we mean he has died -- is sometimes a pleasant way of putting a blunt edge on a hurtful truth; otherwise -- as when the military calls a bombing raid a "surgical strike" or "police action" -- it's a way of hiding the truth. Generally, it's a good idea to avoid using euphemisms.
I don't know if there is a quick or easy way to learn English. The best way to learn any language, surely, is to immerse yourself in situations where you have to speak and read that language. If you can combine that with the good discipline of taking classes in ESL, that's about the best you can do. I don't know why you would ever feel embarrassed speaking English in front of Mexican people. Your audience is probably a good deal more sympathetic to your learning than you think.

Question I need help with apostrophes. Where (and why) would the apostrophes go in these three sentences?

Chris' friends will be coming to the party later.
The boys room is down the stairs and to the left.
The Jones' house is the yellow one.
Their last name ends with an "S" J-O-N-E-S
Thanks for taking the time.
Source & Date
of Question White Plains, New York
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Make sure you read our section on Possessives. Use "Chris's" as the possessive of Chris (although Chris' is not incorrect); use boy's if there is only one boy, boys' if there is more than one; pluralize the Jones to Joneses and then add the apostrophe: the Joneses' house.

Question What are the rules to using "not only..but also" construction?
Source & Date
of Question Minneapolis, Minnesota
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Using correlative conjunctions such as either-or, neither-nor, not only-but also can lead to difficulties in parallel form. See the section on correlative conjunctions (on the Definitions page) and the section on parallelism, and if you still have questions, please write again.

Question Would you please tell me if these sentences are correct? If they are not, would you please explain why?
Three hikers have gone missing today.
Three hikers are missing today.

Source & Date
of Question Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response There's nothing wrong with the second sentence. The first sentence would work with "have been missing" today, although even that's rather strange. (They have been missing, but they've just been found?) "Have gone missing" is impossible because "missing" is not something you can go do. You can go fishing and camping and kayaking, but not missing. Does that make sense, I hope?
Susan Luty makes this observation about "gone missing": The use of "gone" missing is a British idiom like "would have done" and "any road" which in American English is "any way." I have read (and heard from my British co-worker) all of these oddities and I cited authors Barbara Pym, Agatha Christie, and Ms. Read who use these conventions, and others to indicate social class. Christie and Read especially love to put words signifying social class in working-class and rural mouths.

Question Can you tell me whether or not this sentence is structurally correct?
Because of my pluralistic views of morality, I realize that what is right for me may not be right for someone else, so just because I don't think an abortion would be right for me if I were put in a situation where it might be considered, I respect other people's ability to make their own decisions and do not have the right to tell other people what will be right for them in their particular situations.
I know it could and maybe should be split up into multiple sentences, but is it grammatically correct?
Source & Date
of Question Durham, North Carolina
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response It certainly struggles along, especially through "so just because." (It's a real stretch to continue the sentence across that divide.) I also think most readers would have a hard time getting through "and do not have the right." Because so much happens between the subject, "I," and the verb, "do not have," it's easy to lose track of the subject-verb relationship. Structurally, this dog has four legs and it barks, but it won't hunt.

Question In the sentence following, what is the part of speech of brother's and how would you diagram it?
My brother's wife's niece's husband's father bought a new Ferrari.

Source & Date
of Question Hazelton, North Dakota
15 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Is this a trick question? I don't get into diagramming sentences because it's so devilishly difficult to show without getting into graphics, and besides, I'm terrible at it. "Brother's" is a possessive pronoun, obviously, which means it's functioning as a modifier. Just as "my" is modifying "brother's," "brother's" is modifying "wife's," and "wife's" is modifying "niece's" and so on. How you diagram a chain of modifiers like that is something I'll have to leave up to you.

Question Subject : article usage I was reading your grammar log #1 in which you have used a sentence similar to:
Your duties as teacher are to teach, ... and to assign grades.
I wonder why it is not: Your duties as a teacher are ...
Should we say your duties as president are .. or should we say your duties as a president are..
I would like to know if is there a specific rule that allows us to omit an article before the word teacher in this case. I believe since teacher is a count noun, an article should have been used before it. From the following, which one is correct:

This paper presents a mechanism to distribute data from a single source (known as server) to a large number of receivers.
This paper presents a mechanism to distribute data from a single source (known as a server) to a large number of receivers.
Thank you for your time.
Source & Date
of Question Somewhere, Canada
16 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Your version of the sentence with "a teacher" would certainly be correct, but the original is also correct. I'll keep looking, but right now I can't find the explanation for this construction. It must have something to do with changing the meaning of the word understood to be generic to a word understood to refer to a specific role? If you say "your duties as a president would entail," that use of "president" is different from "your duties as president would entail," where "president" seems to refer more specifically to the role of president of a particular organization or country. In your sentences about the server, for instance, we would use the second sentence, but if you were to name the server, the first sentence would be appropriate: ". . . from a single source (known as Webster) to a large number. . ." Maybe that's it? That when we name the role (In your role as mediator. . .), we drop the article? As I said, I'll keep looking.

Question I need to write a critical analysis on Their eyes were watching God and "Jonah's gourd vine." I have no idea where to begin. I have collected a lot of analysis of different people with critics on each book. I do not know how to write the paper. Thank You. My paper is due tomorrow
Source & Date
of Question Suffolk, Virginia
16 April 1998
Grammar's
Response You're probably in big trouble. You might start with the new Principles of Composition section of the Guide. There's a link there to writing "reviews," which should be helpful. In that section you'll find hyperlinks to sample student essays in literature. Also, you should check out the Guide to Writing Research Papers..

Question My question is about an article on the word "translation". Which of the following sentence is OK?
"This is a translation of the Japanese document."
or
"This is translation of the Japanese document."
Can you give me some examples on the usage of the word "translation", please?
I coincidently found your web page, and I found it absolutely great!!!
Source & Date
of Question Somewhere, Japan
16 April 1998
Grammar's
Response You want the article "a" in front of that word. You seem to know what it means and how to use it, but as a count-noun, it does need an article. "The translation was lost. . ." "He produced a translation overnight." etc.

Question I was assigned a research paper on the death penalty and I am unsure about my introduction paragragh. I am not very good at writing introduction paragraphs and I was hoping that maybe you could help me. My paper is against the death penalty because of executing innocent people and the cost to keep them on death row. If you do not have time to help me it is ok... thank you for your time.
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
16 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Go to the section called Principles of Composition and click on the sub-section called Beginnings (under Structure). That should help.

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Question	What importance do have the euphemism in a new language? What is the most easy or quick way to learn English? What do you recommend to me to do not feel shame when I want to speak English in front of Mexican people?
Source & Date of Question	Douglas, Arizona 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	A euphemism -- such as saying that someone has "passed away" when we mean he has died -- is sometimes a pleasant way of putting a blunt edge on a hurtful truth; otherwise -- as when the military calls a bombing raid a "surgical strike" or "police action" -- it's a way of hiding the truth. Generally, it's a good idea to avoid using euphemisms. I don't know if there is a quick or easy way to learn English. The best way to learn any language, surely, is to immerse yourself in situations where you have to speak and read that language. If you can combine that with the good discipline of taking classes in ESL, that's about the best you can do. I don't know why you would ever feel embarrassed speaking English in front of Mexican people. Your audience is probably a good deal more sympathetic to your learning than you think.

Question	I need help with apostrophes. Where (and why) would the apostrophes go in these three sentences? Chris' friends will be coming to the party later. The boys room is down the stairs and to the left. The Jones' house is the yellow one. Their last name ends with an "S" J-O-N-E-S Thanks for taking the time.
Source & Date of Question	White Plains, New York 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Make sure you read our section on Possessives. Use "Chris's" as the possessive of Chris (although Chris' is not incorrect); use boy's if there is only one boy, boys' if there is more than one; pluralize the Jones to Joneses and then add the apostrophe: the Joneses' house.

Question	Would you please tell me if these sentences are correct? If they are not, would you please explain why? Three hikers have gone missing today. Three hikers are missing today.
Source & Date of Question	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	There's nothing wrong with the second sentence. The first sentence would work with "have been missing" today, although even that's rather strange. (They have been missing, but they've just been found?) "Have gone missing" is impossible because "missing" is not something you can go do. You can go fishing and camping and kayaking, but not missing. Does that make sense, I hope? Susan Luty makes this observation about "gone missing": The use of "gone" missing is a British idiom like "would have done" and "any road" which in American English is "any way." I have read (and heard from my British co-worker) all of these oddities and I cited authors Barbara Pym, Agatha Christie, and Ms. Read who use these conventions, and others to indicate social class. Christie and Read especially love to put words signifying social class in working-class and rural mouths.

Question	Can you tell me whether or not this sentence is structurally correct? Because of my pluralistic views of morality, I realize that what is right for me may not be right for someone else, so just because I don't think an abortion would be right for me if I were put in a situation where it might be considered, I respect other people's ability to make their own decisions and do not have the right to tell other people what will be right for them in their particular situations. I know it could and maybe should be split up into multiple sentences, but is it grammatically correct?
Source & Date of Question	Durham, North Carolina 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	It certainly struggles along, especially through "so just because." (It's a real stretch to continue the sentence across that divide.) I also think most readers would have a hard time getting through "and do not have the right." Because so much happens between the subject, "I," and the verb, "do not have," it's easy to lose track of the subject-verb relationship. Structurally, this dog has four legs and it barks, but it won't hunt.

Question	In the sentence following, what is the part of speech of brother's and how would you diagram it? My brother's wife's niece's husband's father bought a new Ferrari.
Source & Date of Question	Hazelton, North Dakota 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Is this a trick question? I don't get into diagramming sentences because it's so devilishly difficult to show without getting into graphics, and besides, I'm terrible at it. "Brother's" is a possessive pronoun, obviously, which means it's functioning as a modifier. Just as "my" is modifying "brother's," "brother's" is modifying "wife's," and "wife's" is modifying "niece's" and so on. How you diagram a chain of modifiers like that is something I'll have to leave up to you.

Question	What are the rules to using "not only..but also" construction?
Source & Date of Question	Minneapolis, Minnesota 15 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Using correlative conjunctions such as either-or, neither-nor, not only-but also can lead to difficulties in parallel form. See the section on correlative conjunctions (on the Definitions page) and the section on parallelism, and if you still have questions, please write again.

Question	Subject : article usage I was reading your grammar log #1 in which you have used a sentence similar to: Your duties as teacher are to teach, ... and to assign grades. I wonder why it is not: Your duties as a teacher are ... Should we say your duties as president are .. or should we say your duties as a president are.. I would like to know if is there a specific rule that allows us to omit an article before the word teacher in this case. I believe since teacher is a count noun, an article should have been used before it. From the following, which one is correct: This paper presents a mechanism to distribute data from a single source (known as server) to a large number of receivers. This paper presents a mechanism to distribute data from a single source (known as a server) to a large number of receivers. Thank you for your time.
Source & Date of Question	Somewhere, Canada 16 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Your version of the sentence with "a teacher" would certainly be correct, but the original is also correct. I'll keep looking, but right now I can't find the explanation for this construction. It must have something to do with changing the meaning of the word understood to be generic to a word understood to refer to a specific role? If you say "your duties as a president would entail," that use of "president" is different from "your duties as president would entail," where "president" seems to refer more specifically to the role of president of a particular organization or country. In your sentences about the server, for instance, we would use the second sentence, but if you were to name the server, the first sentence would be appropriate: ". . . from a single source (known as Webster) to a large number. . ." Maybe that's it? That when we name the role (In your role as mediator. . .), we drop the article? As I said, I'll keep looking.

Question	I need to write a critical analysis on Their eyes were watching God and "Jonah's gourd vine." I have no idea where to begin. I have collected a lot of analysis of different people with critics on each book. I do not know how to write the paper. Thank You. My paper is due tomorrow
Source & Date of Question	Suffolk, Virginia 16 April 1998
Grammar's Response	You're probably in big trouble. You might start with the new Principles of Composition section of the Guide. There's a link there to writing "reviews," which should be helpful. In that section you'll find hyperlinks to sample student essays in literature. Also, you should check out the Guide to Writing Research Papers..

Question	My question is about an article on the word "translation". Which of the following sentence is OK? "This is a translation of the Japanese document." or "This is translation of the Japanese document." Can you give me some examples on the usage of the word "translation", please? I coincidently found your web page, and I found it absolutely great!!!
Source & Date of Question	Somewhere, Japan 16 April 1998
Grammar's Response	You want the article "a" in front of that word. You seem to know what it means and how to use it, but as a count-noun, it does need an article. "The translation was lost. . ." "He produced a translation overnight." etc.

Question	I was assigned a research paper on the death penalty and I am unsure about my introduction paragragh. I am not very good at writing introduction paragraphs and I was hoping that maybe you could help me. My paper is against the death penalty because of executing innocent people and the cost to keep them on death row. If you do not have time to help me it is ok... thank you for your time.
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 16 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Go to the section called Principles of Composition and click on the sub-section called Beginnings (under Structure). That should help.