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The Grammar Logs # 150 |
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| QUESTION |
I always have problems with the usage of the word "any" Use it as a singular or a plural?
For ex: If you have any projects that is due this Wednesday, please bring it to my attention.Thanks for your help. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Los Angeles, California  Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In that sentence, "any" is simply modifying "projects," which is plural, so we need a plural verb and, later on, a plural pronoun: "If you have any projects that are due this Wednesday, please bring them to my attention." "Any" can also modify something singular or uncountable: "Any meat left out overnight HAS to be thrown away." |
| QUESTION |
Which of the following are correct form of comparative usage :
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Both "B" and "C" are correct (in "B," we've simply left off the verb). Some very good writers will argue that "than" should be allowed to act as a preposition (as in "He is tall like me.") and thus take the object form of the pronoun, "me." It's an interesting argument, but I wouldn't depend on it in formal, academic prose. |
| QUESTION |
Okay, now my teacher is convinced that you place a comma inside the quotation. ex. The teacher instructed ",Complete the vocabulary list at home."Is this or is it not wrong. Please answer. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Albany, Georgia Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Perhaps you misunderstood your teacher? No, that wouldn't be an acceptable placement of the comma. It's also a very strange use of the verb "instructed." Something like the following is more likely:
The teacher said, "Complete the vocabulary list at home."or, better yet, something in indirect quotation: The teacher told us to (said they should) complete the vocabulary list at home. |
| QUESTION |
| A few days ago I asked you about the meaning of "W.O." when in a game one party didn't attend.(Grammar Logs #145)
You answered you didn't know and I decided to search in the Internet
and I found (finally!!) some "friends" (The Sports Gurus at First Base Sports)whose job is to write books about sports' rules. They answered me, saying that "W.O." stands for "Wipe Out". Not only to contribute with your GrammarLogs, I would like your opinion about that. Thank you again. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Sao Paulo, Brazil Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Could be. If so, it's probably something borrowed from surfing. Come to think of it, "Wipe Out!" was the name of a stupid card game we used to play in my college years -- a very long time ago. I thought we'd invented it. Nick, an alert reader, informs us that "W.O." means "Walk Over," said to happen when the opposition doesn't show up and you win by default. |
| QUESTION |
When using "e.g.," can the words following the comma be capitalized?
-e.g., The new house.Is this correct or must the words following be lowercase? I want to use e.g., as a bullet point in a presentation. Many thanks. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Los Angeles, California Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The abbreviation e.g. serves best parenthetically (when it's used at all), and as an introductory modifier followed by a comma. I can't imagine using it as a bullet in a list, and I wouldn't capitalize the word that follows it unless that word is a proper noun. |
| QUESTION |
| When referring to a trademarked or copyrighted item (the symbols don't show up in this e-mail) do you have to use the symbol after the name of the item each time you mention it, or only after the first time it's referenced? Thanks. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Ronkonkoma, New York Monday, June 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The manuals of the American Psychological Association and Modern Language Association don't mention the use of trademark symbols at all (at least I can't find any such mention), and the Chicago Manual of Style says the symbols ® and TM "need not be used in running text." (as opposed, I suppose, to walking text). For the most part, though, the names of registered trademark names are capitalized -- although the Chicago manual capitalizes Ping-Pong, which I find amusing. Is that an actual trade name? Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. 282.
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| QUESTION |
| When answering the telephone, which sentence is correct; "This is he" or "This is him."? I always say "This is him" and my wife always "corrects" me. Thank you for your time. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Sewell, New Jersey Tuesday, June 23, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The correct form of that response (sorry about this) is "This is he." You've got a simple Linking Verb in that sentence, and what follows the verb should be a predicate nominative -- that is, in the nominative case; that is, "he." Informally, we could get away with "This is him," but I wouldn't recommend it. To avoid your wife's corrections, you could say "Speaking" or "This is Fred" -- substituting your name for Fred's (unless you're avoiding telemarketers, then go ahead and use Fred's name). |
| QUESTION |
| When referring to a section in a publication, do you put the name of the section in quotation marks or italicize it. For example, if you are producing a large military lesson plan and you want to refer to the section called "Learning" or the instructor notes labelled "NOTE." Is it correct to put them in quotation marks or should they be italicized? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia Tuesday, June 23, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I would use quotation marks when referring to sections or chapters of such a report. Reserve italics and underlines for the titles of things that can stand entirely on their own. |
| QUESTION |
| Uses of 'me' versus 'myself' in sentence |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Natick, Massachusetts Tuesday, June 23, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Generally the word "myself" is reserved for those places where the subject of the sentence is also, in some sense, the object, or it's used to intensify the sense of the the subject.
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| QUESTION |
What are the rules and when do I use "a" and "an"?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Kansas City, Missouri Tuesday, June 23, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| See the section on Articles and Determiners and write back if you still have questions. Generally, you'll use "a" before a non-vowel sound -- "a piece of pie," and "an" before a vowel sound -- "an apple pie." |
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