The
Grammar
Logs
# 151

QUESTION
Can you please help me in determining the difference between 'inquire' and 'enquire'. I thought it might be in your notorious confusables section, but unfortunately I didn't find the answer listed there.

Thank you for your help!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Toronto, Canada Tuesday, June 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
There is no problem with mixing up these words because they mean the same thing; they're just variant spellings of the same word ("enquire" being somewhat older). I'd stick with "inquire," if I were you.

QUESTION
I understand (well, kinda) that infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. I can even identify them in sentences (well, most of the time). But I can't for the life of me figure out what word they are modifying and whether they are functioning as an adverb or adjective.

Can you clue me in?

Thank you.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Grayson, Georgia Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Being able to identify the various roles of infinitives is a matter of practice and learning to ask the right questions. Let's look at some examples:
  1. I was in a position to help.
  2. He tried to help.
  3. It was really important to help.
  4. All he wanted was to help.
In "a," the infinitive is modifying the word "position"; it must be an adjective. In "b," it is modifying "tried," the verb, so it must be an adverb. In "d," it is modifying the word important (a predicate adjective), so it must be an adverb (because only adverbs can modify adjectives). In "d," it's the predicate nominative of "all he wanted," so it must be a noun. If you can differentiate between the adjectival and adverbial functions, you can usually differentiate between the roles of the infinitive phrase. See The Garden of Phrases for more help.

QUESTION
How do we call a scientist working in the field of environment?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Chengdu, P.R.C. Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
An ecologist, maybe? An environmental scientist? The term "environmentalist" often is used to refer to people who are very concerned with the condition of the environment, not necessarily in a scientific way.

QUESTION
There is an error in the following sentence. Where?
The strong light, which disturbed him very much, was excluded from the room by means of window blind.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You could either pluralize "blind" to "blinds" or you could add a determiner -- "a," in this case. That's an interesting use of the word excluded.

QUESTION
Which of the following is correct?
  1. Money make the world goes round.
  2. Money makes the world go round.
Thank you very much!
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
"B" is correct. Money is singular, so we need a singular, third-person ("it"), present tense verb, which means the "s" ending, "makes."

The "go" does not have an "s" ending because it's part of the Causative Verb "makes" and is really an infinitve "to go" without the "to" (as in "causes the world to go around").


QUESTION
Please, I'd like to know if both sentences are correct or not:
  • Neither John nor Jill is playing now.
  • Neither John nor Jill are playing now.
Thanks.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Belem, PA, Brazil Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Only the first version is correct. When you connect subjects with "neither/nor" or "either/or," the subject closer to the verb will determine the number of the verb. The subject closer to the verb (although it doesn't really matter here because both subjects are singular), is "Jill," so we want a singular verb, "is playing."

QUESTION
Having become increasingly distressed by bad grammar and usage in journalism, even in print, I was very happy to discover your site. (My current chief gripe, by the way, is the use of "may" when what is meant is "might," as in "If the warning had come a moment later, a disaster may have resulted.")

Alas, I'm disappointed to see you reinforcing some of the very causes of bad writing, namely Grundian superstitions masquerading as legitimate rules of language. Most serious is your advice that "good writers" avoid the (misnamed) "split infinitive," despite the fact that you acknowledge that this "rule" has no grammatical justification! Actually, from what I've seen, enforcement of this rule leads to imprecise and clumsy constructions if not to downright semantic errors. You might be right that junior writers should avoid it in fear of being chastised by their pointy-haired and functionally illiterate bosses, but it isn't "good writers" but rather timid ones who damage their writing that way.

Gripe, gripe, gripe...

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Durham, North Carolina Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Wait until Mrs. Grundy gets hold of you!

QUESTION
Which is correct? "If it weren't for David" or "If it wasn't for David" .

Thank you.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Rhode Island Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
That would be a good use of the Subjunctive. You want "were" in that sentence.

QUESTION
Dear Sir,
Which of the following sentences is correct?
  1. You must meet with him before dawn
    or
  2. You must meet him before dawn?
Thank you.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Kr.Raja, Trengganu, Malaysia Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
They're both correct. The second sentence means simply that you will become acquainted and get together with this person before dawn. The first sentence suggests that you are going to have a meeting with this person and discuss something with this person before dawn. (This not always true of "meet with," but I think that's what it suggests more often than not.)

QUESTION
As an editor of bulletins in a research organization, I run across a lot of bulleted lists. I'm curious to know whether an "and" belongs at the end of the second-to-last item in the list, and whether the lists require semi-colons if the items within are long, but do not contain commas. Here's an example:

The following subjects are covered in this note:

  • age
  • employee status
  • gender distribution and pay scale
  • contribution to a pension plan
  • employee age by steps on the common pay scale.
Thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Victoria, BC, Canada Wednesday, June 24, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I use the Chicago Manual of Style as my guide for vertical lists. In a list like yours, they would not put a period after the last item. If each item ended in a semicolon (which you could very well use if the items were lengthy), then you could end the last item with a period. And no, no "and" before last item.

Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. 160.


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