The Grammar Logs -- Number One Hundred, Seven

The
Grammar
Logs
# 107

Question I'd like to know if there's a difference between: "Should" and "Had better". Thanks.
Source & Date
of Question BelÈm, PA, Brazil
19 April 1998
Grammar's
Response The "had better" construction is a colloquial construction which means "should." Your sentence will invariably be improved if you substitute "should" for "had better."

Question Please read the following:
"If you're one of those who __________ Initiative 200 would...."
Would use you use the word "think" or "thinks" to fill in the blank?
Please explain...
Thanks.
Source & Date
of Question Yakima, Washington
19 April 1998
Grammar's
Response In a sentence like that, try reconstructing the sentence like this -- "of those who _____ Initiative 200 would [whatever], you are one." If you built the sentence that way, you would surely choose "think," and you would be correct. The "who" in that sentence is referring to the plural "those," but it's kind of hard to see until you experiment a bit with the structure of it.

Question Someone is ill and you respond--"I feel bad about that," or do you respond, "I feel badly about that."
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
19 April 1998
Grammar's
Response The verb "to feel" is a linking verb, so you follow it (in the predicate) with an adjective, not an adverb: "I feel bad about that." (If you said you felt badly, that would mean that there was something wrong with your faculties for feeling.)

Question I read an article titled, "I want a wife." The beginning of numerous sentences begin with, "I want....." Obviously, there is an exception to the redundancy rule. What is the exception called and why does it exist?
Thanks!
Source & Date
of Question Bristol, Pennsylvania
19 April 1998
Grammar's
Response The repetition of a key phrase or word like that is called Parallelism. It can be extremely effective as a transitional and rhythmical device -- as it is, say, in the so-called Beatitudes of the Bible ("Blessed are the meek," etc.) or in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech -- or it can become extremely annoying. A skillful writer knows when to give it up.

Question What is the difference between further and farther?
When is it appropriate to use a semi-colon?
Source & Date
of Question Howell, New Jersey
20 April 1998
Grammar's
Response You can find the difference between those words in the Notorious Confusables section. Use farther for measurable distances and then look further into the matter. As for semicolons, please review Semicolons and get back to us if that doesn't answer your question.

Question Does this sentence sound bad or messed up? If it is, then tell me how and what one can do about it. If not, why not? I really would like to know;
Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields.
I could be wrong, but is there punctuation missing or something?
Source & Date
of Question Phoenix, Arizona
20 April 1998
Grammar's
Response There is no missing punctuation in that sentence. One hopes that in context its logic is more evident, but structurally it's fine. (The word "as" would work nicely in that sentence, instead of "because.")

Question The film had happy ending. OR The film had A happy ending
Source & Date
of Question Alavus, Finland
21 April 1998
Grammar's
Response You definitely want the article "a" in that sentence. Check out the section on Articles and Determiners for additional help with a, an, the.

Question I have a question about the following sentence.
There's a history behind why I sign my e-mails "R.".
The period in quotation marks belongs with the "R." My question regards the rule about ending a sentence with a quotation and putting the punctuation mark inside the quotation marks. In the singled out sentence, the period is part of the quotation, but the second time was only for following the rule. Where does the last period go in the first sentence? Inside, outside? Should I even have a second period? Also, I often send technical answers to friends which end with things like "128.94.2.13."
By the rules, that last period should be there, but it might be confusing to others because it's not part of that IP address.
BTW I *am* right about the punctuation/quotation mark rule, correct?
Source & Date
of Question Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Let's ignore the part about the "IP address" for the moment. Yes, according to American conventions, the period goes inside the quotation marks, whether or not that makes sense, and, no, you don't want a second period to end the sentence. I'm told there are some weird historical reasons (having to do with the fragility of lead type) that explain why that period goes inside the quotation marks, but that's how it is. However, how do you avoid having your friends put a period at the end of your IP address? That's a really good question. (Why the quotation marks, by the way?) Some people put such addresses in angle brackets, but then people use the angle brackets in the address. Some people don't put any end-mark punctuation after such things or they put them on a separate line altogether (a really good idea for URLs). Personally, I skip a space between the last letter or number of the address and the end-mark. I don't think there is any one right way of doing this yet, but I certainly wouldn't use two periods.

Question What in the world is a mixed construction? I have no clue. I have exhausted my few neurons that remain in my possession. Could you let me know if there is such thing?
Confused English Student
Source & Date
of Question Lutx, Florida
21 April 1998
Grammar's
Response Yes, confused, there is such a thing. A mixed construction usually happens when the subject of a sentence and its predicate stand in an illogical relationship. This can happen in a variety of ways. Here are a handful:
The double-start: The new system of student registration, we began to use it in the fall. (Revised to: We began to use the new system of student registration in the fall.)
The whole sentence subject: Beginning in the fall of 1997, we began to use the system called Banner, was the responsibility of the registrar's office. (Revised to: Beginning in the fall of 1997, we began to use the system called Banner. The Registrar's office was responsible for this initial project.)
Adverbial phrases used as subjects: By devising carefully worded forms ahead of time made the registrar's job much easier. (Revised to: Devising carefully worded forms ahead of time made the Registrar's job much easier.)
Subordinate clauses acting as subjects: Even if students' records are lost in the shuffle of registration does not mean they will have to start the process over. (Revised to: Even if students' records are lost in the shuffle of registration, they will not necessarily have to start the process over. or Students do not have to start the process over if their records are lost in the registration shuffle.)
Illogical predication: A compromise between the Dean's office and the Registrar's office was the time this whole process got started. (Compromise is not a time.) (Revised to: The process began with the compromise between the Dean's office and Registrar's office.)
Using "is when" or "is where": Matriculation is where a student enrolls in a degree-granting program. (Revised to: Students are said to be matriculated when they enroll in a degree-granting program.)
Thanks for your note. I think I'll add this response to our section on Confusion: Its Sources and Remedies

Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997.

Question In the following sentence :
She fell asleep reading the book.
'reading the book' is a participial phrase, is it not? This is what I think but the answer key gives gerund phrase.
What do you think?
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
21 April 1998
Grammar's
Response I think what you've got here is a prepositional phrase with an understood preposition, "while." The object of this understood preposition is, indeed, a gerund phrase, "reading the book." (She fell asleep while reading the book.) When a preposition is combined with a gerund, it creates an adverbial phrase, telling us (in this case) when or under what conditions she fell asleep.
I've changed my mind about this after receiving a note from Rob De Decker, in which he points out that ""While" is a conjunction, not a preposition (during is a preposition). I think that "reading a book" is a participial clause." I think I'd use the term "adverb clause," myself, in that if we provide an understood subject and subordinating word "while she was reading the book," it clearly modifies the verb "fell asleep."

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Question	Please read the following: "If you're one of those who __________ Initiative 200 would...." Would use you use the word "think" or "thinks" to fill in the blank? Please explain... Thanks.
Source & Date of Question	Yakima, Washington 19 April 1998
Grammar's Response	In a sentence like that, try reconstructing the sentence like this -- "of those who _____ Initiative 200 would [whatever], you are one." If you built the sentence that way, you would surely choose "think," and you would be correct. The "who" in that sentence is referring to the plural "those," but it's kind of hard to see until you experiment a bit with the structure of it.

Question	I read an article titled, "I want a wife." The beginning of numerous sentences begin with, "I want....." Obviously, there is an exception to the redundancy rule. What is the exception called and why does it exist? Thanks!
Source & Date of Question	Bristol, Pennsylvania 19 April 1998
Grammar's Response	The repetition of a key phrase or word like that is called Parallelism. It can be extremely effective as a transitional and rhythmical device -- as it is, say, in the so-called Beatitudes of the Bible ("Blessed are the meek," etc.) or in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech -- or it can become extremely annoying. A skillful writer knows when to give it up.

Question	What is the difference between further and farther? When is it appropriate to use a semi-colon?
Source & Date of Question	Howell, New Jersey 20 April 1998
Grammar's Response	You can find the difference between those words in the Notorious Confusables section. Use farther for measurable distances and then look further into the matter. As for semicolons, please review Semicolons and get back to us if that doesn't answer your question.

Question	Does this sentence sound bad or messed up? If it is, then tell me how and what one can do about it. If not, why not? I really would like to know; Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields. I could be wrong, but is there punctuation missing or something?
Source & Date of Question	Phoenix, Arizona 20 April 1998
Grammar's Response	There is no missing punctuation in that sentence. One hopes that in context its logic is more evident, but structurally it's fine. (The word "as" would work nicely in that sentence, instead of "because.")

Question	I have a question about the following sentence. There's a history behind why I sign my e-mails "R.". The period in quotation marks belongs with the "R." My question regards the rule about ending a sentence with a quotation and putting the punctuation mark inside the quotation marks. In the singled out sentence, the period is part of the quotation, but the second time was only for following the rule. Where does the last period go in the first sentence? Inside, outside? Should I even have a second period? Also, I often send technical answers to friends which end with things like "128.94.2.13." By the rules, that last period should be there, but it might be confusing to others because it's not part of that IP address. BTW I am right about the punctuation/quotation mark rule, correct?
Source & Date of Question	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 21 April 1998
Grammar's Response	Let's ignore the part about the "IP address" for the moment. Yes, according to American conventions, the period goes inside the quotation marks, whether or not that makes sense, and, no, you don't want a second period to end the sentence. I'm told there are some weird historical reasons (having to do with the fragility of lead type) that explain why that period goes inside the quotation marks, but that's how it is. However, how do you avoid having your friends put a period at the end of your IP address? That's a really good question. (Why the quotation marks, by the way?) Some people put such addresses in angle brackets, but then people use the angle brackets in the address. Some people don't put any end-mark punctuation after such things or they put them on a separate line altogether (a really good idea for URLs). Personally, I skip a space between the last letter or number of the address and the end-mark. I don't think there is any one right way of doing this yet, but I certainly wouldn't use two periods.

Question	I'd like to know if there's a difference between: "Should" and "Had better". Thanks.
Source & Date of Question	BelÈm, PA, Brazil 19 April 1998
Grammar's Response	The "had better" construction is a colloquial construction which means "should." Your sentence will invariably be improved if you substitute "should" for "had better."

Question	Someone is ill and you respond--"I feel bad about that," or do you respond, "I feel badly about that."
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 19 April 1998
Grammar's Response	The verb "to feel" is a linking verb, so you follow it (in the predicate) with an adjective, not an adverb: "I feel bad about that." (If you said you felt badly, that would mean that there was something wrong with your faculties for feeling.)

Question	The film had happy ending. OR The film had A happy ending
Source & Date of Question	Alavus, Finland 21 April 1998
Grammar's Response	You definitely want the article "a" in that sentence. Check out the section on Articles and Determiners for additional help with a, an, the.

Question	In the following sentence : She fell asleep reading the book. 'reading the book' is a participial phrase, is it not? This is what I think but the answer key gives gerund phrase. What do you think?
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 21 April 1998
Grammar's Response	I think what you've got here is a prepositional phrase with an understood preposition, "while." The object of this understood preposition is, indeed, a gerund phrase, "reading the book." (She fell asleep while reading the book.) When a preposition is combined with a gerund, it creates an adverbial phrase, telling us (in this case) when or under what conditions she fell asleep. I've changed my mind about this after receiving a note from Rob De Decker, in which he points out that ""While" is a conjunction, not a preposition (during is a preposition). I think that "reading a book" is a participial clause." I think I'd use the term "adverb clause," myself, in that if we provide an understood subject and subordinating word "while she was reading the book," it clearly modifies the verb "fell asleep."