The Grammar Logs -- Number Thirteen

The
Grammar
Logs
# 13

Question While studying his grammar, John ate an apple.
Is "while studying his grammar" a prepositional phrase, a gerund phrase, or a participial phrase? If it is a prepositional phrase, I thought that prepositions take objects, like "under the door."
Also, do participial verbals always function as adjectives, as in, "the broken door" or "the studying boy"?
I know gerunds function as nouns only, so I would assume if it ends in ing and is a verbal but not a noun then it must be a participle...but can you see why, knowing what I do about participial, gerund, and prepositional phrases, I can't figure out what kind of phrase "while studying his grammar" is?
Source & Date
of Question San Francisco, California
29 May 1997
Grammar's
Response Good questions. I think what you have in "While studying his grammar" is an adverbial clause which has been reduced to a phrase by removing the now-understood subject and verb, "he was." The phrase must, then, still be adverbial in nature, but I'm not sure what to call it. "While" cannot be a preposition with this meaning, the dictionary tells us; in fact, I'm sure it's still acting as a subordinating conjunction. The best I can come up with is that it's a phrase that plays the role of an adverbial clause.
Yes, participles modify the same way that adjectives do.

Question How can I get help in studying English ?
Source & Date
of Question Estonia
30 May 1997
Grammar's
Response If you are talking about getting help in the study of English through the internet (and not about traveling to England or the U.S.A.), you can't do better (in my opinion) than starting at Dave's ESL Cafe.
If you don't find exactly what you're looking for there, post a question on one of Dave's Bulletin Boards and you're bound to get help.

Question What is the difference between see and watch ?

I see a movie every week. or I watch a movie every week.
I see television or I watch television.

Source & Date
of Question Mexico City, Mexico
30 May 1997
Grammar's
Response There's not a huge difference between these verbs. I suggest you look at the online Webster Hypertext Interface and read the definitions and uses of both words. What I get out of it is that to watch is more intense; to see is a physical thing and can be superficial (but not necessarily so, since we do use "see" in the sense of "understand"), but to watch usually involves more care. We would probably say, "Did you see that show on TV last night." But we would also say, "I watch that show every week." There's not a whole lot of difference in that context. Watching something often involves perceiving the unfolding or playing out of a process. Having said that, either "I see a movie every week." or "I watch a movie every week." is acceptable; however, you would probably say, "I watch television," not "I see television." Good luck with this one!

Question Is it grammatically correct using simple past instead of past progressive?
I studied for two hours.
I was studying for two hours.

Source & Date
of Question Austin, Texas
31 May 1997
Grammar's
Response Both sentences are correct, but they mean different things. The past progressive emphasizes the process that happened, that that was something going on in the past. The simple past emphasizes the simple fact that that's what you did (not what you were doing). It's not a huge difference, but it is a difference.

Question Please, i would like to know when use at, in, on:

I live ...... Brasil
we are ........end of May
the book is.....the table
Many thanks
Source & Date
of Question Sao Paolo, Brazil
1 June 1997
Grammar's
Response The best online help on prepositions that I know of is at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab -- specifically

Prepositions of Location
Prepositions of Direction
To answer your question, though, we would say, I live in Brasil, We are at the end of May, and The book is on the table.

Question I want to explain to a friend how to correctly use past participles. Often, he will write a sentence in which he leaves the "ed" off the end of this verb form. For example, he writes, "You should have ask someone where to catch the bus." This error seems not to be restricted to any particular group of verbs, but is associated more with use patterns.
Since I am not an English major, I would like some suggestions in how best to correct this problem. Could I build him a workbook? What is the correctly stated English language rule covering this verb usage?
Thanks
Source & Date
of Question Niceville, Florida
1 June 1997
Grammar's
Response The forms of the past participle (for the regular verbs, anyway) are the same as the simple past. So if we say, "You asked directions for the bus," we would continue to use this -ed form when combined with forms of have : "You have asked," or "You should have asked," etc. (An example of an irregular verb: "You went" changes to "You have gone .") If your friend is learning English as a Second Language, then he might want want to visit David Sperling's ESL Cafe where he can find several quizzes on verb forms.
The ESL Cafe might be a good place to ask this same question.
Is everyone in Niceville this nice?

Question Is "staff" a collective noun that uses the singular verb? For example, is it "the staff is happy with the pay raise" ? or is is, the staff are...? May a singular verb ever be used with "staff"? Would this denote a staff of one person, then?
Source & Date
of Question Batavia, New York
1 June 1997
Grammar's
Response "Staff" is like a lot of collective nouns in that it can behave as a singular group or as a bunch of individuals and thus the verb that agrees with it can be either singular or plural, depending on how it's acting. Consider "jury," for instance. You would say that the jury will render ITS verdict after the jury COMES into the room. However, after these individuals come into the room, the jury TAKE THEIR SEATS. It's often wise, for instance, to avoid silly statements like "The crowd rose to its feet." One pictures a many-headed monster on two tiny feet. Usually, the collective noun is singular in nature and requires a singular verb (and pronouns that refer to it), but sometimes those individuals within the collective noun do act individually, and then the noun requires a plural verb. (The answer to your last question, then, is no, the singular verb does not imply a staff of one.)

Question Hi! I am constructing an argumentation essay and need to include both a periodic sentence as well as anaphora. The only problem is that I don't know what either one of these things are. Please help!!
Source & Date
of Question Monsey, New York
1 June 1997
Grammar's
Response The anaphora is the easier to spot: it's the repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses, as in Churchill's famous speech:
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.
The periodic sentence, on the other hand, is a grand piling up of clauses in parallel form. Here are some examples from Samuel Johnson (18th century). (Periodic style has been rather out of vogue in English for a long time; it can, however, be magnificent.)
That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to excellence are paid to antiquity, is a complaint likely to be always continued by those who, being able to add nothing to truth, hope for eminence from the heresies of paradox, or those who, being forced by disappointment upon consolatory expedients, are willing to hope from posterity what the present age refuses, and flatter themselves that the regard which is yet denied by envy will be at last bestowed by time. . . .
To works, however, of which the excellence is not absolute and definite, but gradual and comparative; to works not raised upon principles demonstrative and scientific, but appealing wholly to observation and experience, no other test can be applied than length of duration and continuance of esteem. What mankind have long possessed they have often examined and compared, and if they persist to value the possession it is because frequent comparisons have confirmed opinion in its favour. As among the works of nature no man can properly call a river deep or a mountain high without the knowledge of many mountains and many rivers, so, in the productions of genius, nothing can be styled excellent till it has been compared with other works of the same kind. . . .
The reverence due to writings that have long subsisted arises, therefore, not from any credulous confidence in the superior wisdom of past ages, or gloomy persuasion of the degeneracy of mankind, but is the consequence of acknowledged and indubitable positions, that what has been longest known has been most considered, and what is most considered is best understood.
(Samuel Johnson, Selected Writings, ed. R. T. Davies, Evanston 1965, pp. 262-263). For authority, click HERE.

Previous Grammar Log
Next Grammar Log
Index of Grammar Logs
Guide to Grammar and Writing

Question	How can I get help in studying English ?
Source & Date of Question	Estonia 30 May 1997
Grammar's Response	If you are talking about getting help in the study of English through the internet (and not about traveling to England or the U.S.A.), you can't do better (in my opinion) than starting at Dave's ESL Cafe. If you don't find exactly what you're looking for there, post a question on one of Dave's Bulletin Boards and you're bound to get help.

Question	What is the difference between see and watch ? I see a movie every week. or I watch a movie every week. I see television or I watch television.
Source & Date of Question	Mexico City, Mexico 30 May 1997
Grammar's Response	There's not a huge difference between these verbs. I suggest you look at the online Webster Hypertext Interface and read the definitions and uses of both words. What I get out of it is that to watch is more intense; to see is a physical thing and can be superficial (but not necessarily so, since we do use "see" in the sense of "understand"), but to watch usually involves more care. We would probably say, "Did you see that show on TV last night." But we would also say, "I watch that show every week." There's not a whole lot of difference in that context. Watching something often involves perceiving the unfolding or playing out of a process. Having said that, either "I see a movie every week." or "I watch a movie every week." is acceptable; however, you would probably say, "I watch television," not "I see television." Good luck with this one!

Question	Is it grammatically correct using simple past instead of past progressive? I studied for two hours. I was studying for two hours.
Source & Date of Question	Austin, Texas 31 May 1997
Grammar's Response	Both sentences are correct, but they mean different things. The past progressive emphasizes the process that happened, that that was something going on in the past. The simple past emphasizes the simple fact that that's what you did (not what you were doing). It's not a huge difference, but it is a difference.

Question	Please, i would like to know when use at, in, on: I live ...... Brasil we are ........end of May the book is.....the table Many thanks
Source & Date of Question	Sao Paolo, Brazil 1 June 1997
Grammar's Response	The best online help on prepositions that I know of is at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab -- specifically Prepositions of Location Prepositions of Direction To answer your question, though, we would say, I live in Brasil, We are at the end of May, and The book is on the table.

Question	Is "staff" a collective noun that uses the singular verb? For example, is it "the staff is happy with the pay raise" ? or is is, the staff are...? May a singular verb ever be used with "staff"? Would this denote a staff of one person, then?
Source & Date of Question	Batavia, New York 1 June 1997
Grammar's Response	"Staff" is like a lot of collective nouns in that it can behave as a singular group or as a bunch of individuals and thus the verb that agrees with it can be either singular or plural, depending on how it's acting. Consider "jury," for instance. You would say that the jury will render ITS verdict after the jury COMES into the room. However, after these individuals come into the room, the jury TAKE THEIR SEATS. It's often wise, for instance, to avoid silly statements like "The crowd rose to its feet." One pictures a many-headed monster on two tiny feet. Usually, the collective noun is singular in nature and requires a singular verb (and pronouns that refer to it), but sometimes those individuals within the collective noun do act individually, and then the noun requires a plural verb. (The answer to your last question, then, is no, the singular verb does not imply a staff of one.)