The Grammar Logs -- Number One Hundred, Twenty-Six

The
Grammar
Logs
# 126

Question A or One? Can we use "one" instead of "a" in the following question?
May I have a cup of tea?

Source & Date
of Question Hong Kong
15 May 1998
Grammar's
Response Yes, and you'll get exactly the same thing. It means something a little different, though. With "one," you're asking, specifically, for one cup of tea -- as opposed to two or three cups of tea. The number -- one -- is important for some reason.

Question I know that helping verbs help the main verb do its job, but I am looking for a more solid grammatical definition of how they help.
Thanks so much for your help.
Source & Date
of Question New York, New York
15 May 1998
Grammar's
Response A helping or auxiliary verb is usually some form of be, do or have, that combines with other verbs to show various relations of tense, voice, mood, and so on. The following underlined portions are helping verbs: I have been a student; I will be talking to them later; I would have been teaching; They are teaching; They did learn; I would prefer; They could learn; She should leave. Because they serve so many functions -- in terms of these relationships -- they're difficult to define outside of each function.

Question 1.) What is relative clause?
2.) What is the different between Adjective clause and Noun clause?
3.) The sentence structure of Adjective clause and Noun clause?
4.) What is phrase? Properties? How to use it?
Source & Date
of Question Hong Kong
16 May 1998
Grammar's
Response You must have skipped right past the Table of Contents! There are several sections of the Guide to Grammar and Writing which deal with these questions. There are not only extensive descriptions and definitions, but there are also quizzes to help you test your understanding. Try those and then write back if you have specific questions.

Question Did you come up with the basics for online references in APA format?
I really do like this site!
Source & Date
of Question Dawson, Georgia
16 May 1998
Grammar's
Response Have you visited the website called Guide to Writing Research Papers (apa-style)? I think the last question listed there deals with this question. And did I come up with the basics? Heavens, no! The people at the American Psychological Association spent a long time figuring out how to make things difficult for writers.

Question 1. What is a run-on sentence?
2. Why is the following sentence regarded as a complex sentence and not a compound-complex sentence?
"Coach Espinoza met with her new recruits and tried to instill in them the drive to win that had characterized her teams in the past."

Source & Date
of Question Hong Kong
16 May 1998
Grammar's
Response See our digital handout on Run-on Sentences and take the quizzes on run-on sentences, too.
For a sentence to be considered a compound sentence, it has to have two or more independent clauses, and there is only one independent clause in that sentence. The subject of the main clause has two verbs, and that may be what is confusing you. This would have been a complex sentence if it had said,
Coach Espinoza met with her new recruits, and she tried to instill in them the drive to win that had characterized her teams in the past.
Now the "she tried" creates a new subject-verb relationship and you have two independent clauses; thus it is now a compound sentence -- actually, it's a compound-complex sentence, isn't it?

Question Is it correct to say:
To receive Tuition
Is there a better word for receive?
Source & Date
of Question Perth, West Australia. Australia
16 May 1998
Grammar's
Response In the U.S., the only person who would receive tuition would be the business office of an academic institution, because in the U.S., we use that word almost exclusively to mean the cost of education (not including fees, usually). Elsewhere, the word tuition can mean instruction, and, in that sense, it would make sense to "receive tuition," I suppose.

Question Hi!
How do I do a title page?
Thanks
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
16 May 1998
Grammar's
Response The good news is that you don't have to have a title page. So if you want one, you're pretty much on your own. Go to the "formatting" section of the Guide to Writing Research Papers and use that format.

Question What criteria do I use in determining whether to use 'a' or 'an' before a word beginning with 'h'. I know the obvious -- hour, herb, heir. Is it only if the 'h' is silent, and the word sounds as though it begins with a vowel? Thank you. This is driving me nuts!
Source & Date
of Question Port Jefferson Station, New York
17 May 1998
Grammar's
Response I'm afraid that there's not much I can say that will save your sanity. Once you've got the basics down, you'll have to go by ear, and sometimes that's not easy. I have no trouble with "an hour," but I will sometimes say "a historical" and sometimes say "an historical." The problem is compounded if you've been listening to British-type folks (or people who affect a British accent), for they are more likely to sound that "h" where we (we Americans, who speak the language the way God planned) would not.

Question I am writing a paper and need to use an attention device in the introductory paragraph and I was wondering what they were. I know that one is a quote and another is an anecdote but what are the other. Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question East Brunswick, New Jersey
17 May 1998
Grammar's
Response We have a section on writing Introductory Paragraphs (most of it written by Harry Livermore), which ought to be helpful. There are also some warnings about what not to do in an introduction.

Question
He ate some of the food he had been going to bring to his mother.
He ate some of the food that he was going to take to his mother.
He ate some of the food that he had been intending to take to his mother.
Which one of these sentences would be correct in a novel?
Two of us disagree.
Source & Date
of Question Phoenix, Arizona
17 May 1998
Grammar's
Response Assuming your point of view is with the subject of the sentence, you're going to take, not bring, the food to his mother. And that last sentence seems kind of hoity-toity for novelistic prose, although there's nothing wrong with the grammar that I can see. I say go with #2. I get a share of the movie rights.

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Question	A or One? Can we use "one" instead of "a" in the following question? May I have a cup of tea?
Source & Date of Question	Hong Kong 15 May 1998
Grammar's Response	Yes, and you'll get exactly the same thing. It means something a little different, though. With "one," you're asking, specifically, for one cup of tea -- as opposed to two or three cups of tea. The number -- one -- is important for some reason.

Question	I know that helping verbs help the main verb do its job, but I am looking for a more solid grammatical definition of how they help. Thanks so much for your help.
Source & Date of Question	New York, New York 15 May 1998
Grammar's Response	A helping or auxiliary verb is usually some form of be, do or have, that combines with other verbs to show various relations of tense, voice, mood, and so on. The following underlined portions are helping verbs: I have been a student; I will be talking to them later; I would have been teaching; They are teaching; They did learn; I would prefer; They could learn; She should leave. Because they serve so many functions -- in terms of these relationships -- they're difficult to define outside of each function.

Question	1.) What is relative clause? 2.) What is the different between Adjective clause and Noun clause? 3.) The sentence structure of Adjective clause and Noun clause? 4.) What is phrase? Properties? How to use it?
Source & Date of Question	Hong Kong 16 May 1998
Grammar's Response	You must have skipped right past the Table of Contents! There are several sections of the Guide to Grammar and Writing which deal with these questions. There are not only extensive descriptions and definitions, but there are also quizzes to help you test your understanding. Try those and then write back if you have specific questions.

Question	Did you come up with the basics for online references in APA format? I really do like this site!
Source & Date of Question	Dawson, Georgia 16 May 1998
Grammar's Response	Have you visited the website called Guide to Writing Research Papers (apa-style)? I think the last question listed there deals with this question. And did I come up with the basics? Heavens, no! The people at the American Psychological Association spent a long time figuring out how to make things difficult for writers.

Question	Is it correct to say: To receive Tuition Is there a better word for receive?
Source & Date of Question	Perth, West Australia. Australia 16 May 1998
Grammar's Response	In the U.S., the only person who would receive tuition would be the business office of an academic institution, because in the U.S., we use that word almost exclusively to mean the cost of education (not including fees, usually). Elsewhere, the word tuition can mean instruction, and, in that sense, it would make sense to "receive tuition," I suppose.

Question	Hi! How do I do a title page? Thanks
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 16 May 1998
Grammar's Response	The good news is that you don't have to have a title page. So if you want one, you're pretty much on your own. Go to the "formatting" section of the Guide to Writing Research Papers and use that format.

Question	What criteria do I use in determining whether to use 'a' or 'an' before a word beginning with 'h'. I know the obvious -- hour, herb, heir. Is it only if the 'h' is silent, and the word sounds as though it begins with a vowel? Thank you. This is driving me nuts!
Source & Date of Question	Port Jefferson Station, New York 17 May 1998
Grammar's Response	I'm afraid that there's not much I can say that will save your sanity. Once you've got the basics down, you'll have to go by ear, and sometimes that's not easy. I have no trouble with "an hour," but I will sometimes say "a historical" and sometimes say "an historical." The problem is compounded if you've been listening to British-type folks (or people who affect a British accent), for they are more likely to sound that "h" where we (we Americans, who speak the language the way God planned) would not.

Question	I am writing a paper and need to use an attention device in the introductory paragraph and I was wondering what they were. I know that one is a quote and another is an anecdote but what are the other. Thank you.
Source & Date of Question	East Brunswick, New Jersey 17 May 1998
Grammar's Response	We have a section on writing Introductory Paragraphs (most of it written by Harry Livermore), which ought to be helpful. There are also some warnings about what not to do in an introduction.

Question	He ate some of the food he had been going to bring to his mother. He ate some of the food that he was going to take to his mother. He ate some of the food that he had been intending to take to his mother. Which one of these sentences would be correct in a novel? Two of us disagree.
Source & Date of Question	Phoenix, Arizona 17 May 1998
Grammar's Response	Assuming your point of view is with the subject of the sentence, you're going to take, not bring, the food to his mother. And that last sentence seems kind of hoity-toity for novelistic prose, although there's nothing wrong with the grammar that I can see. I say go with #2. I get a share of the movie rights.