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Grammar
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# 154

QUESTION
I have two questions.

The first is like the following.

The new microscopes permit people to see only twelve-thousand-millions of a meter.
I am wondering what does twelve-thousand-millions of a meter mean. Is it a kind of expressing fraction form like a third? If so, another question arises in me. Why million is used as plural instead of singular form?

The second one is

  • A watch paid much for is not necessarily a good one
  • A watch paid more for is not exactly a good one.
Which of the above two sentences is more acceptable in English? Or do they have similar but not exactly the same meaning? If so, what is the difference in meaning between them?

Thank you.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Ulsan, Korea Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I think the measurement should be in millionths, not millions. And, yes, it is a fraction, like a third. If you divided a meter into a million parts, and had an object equal in diameter (?) to 12 thousand of those parts, you could see it with that new microscope.

I think you want "a watch paid much for": "more for" would imply a comparison, and you're not comparing this watch to another one. Perhaps "necessarily" would be a better word than "exactly"?


QUESTION
I am a recently returning college student and I have to write a character sketch on Belinda from the mock heroic epic "The Rape of the Lock." I have not done a character sketch since high school 6 years ago and I can not remember the format of one or even what it contains....please help.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Mesquite, Texas Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I'm not aware of any specific format for character sketches. I think you're going to have to ask your instructor for further advice on this. I suppose your task is to describe Belinda -- physically, emotionally, etc. -- based on the language of the poem. But I don't know how much of the poem's language your instructor wants you to use. Sorry I can't be more helpful on this.

QUESTION
hi!

I want to find one list in the www with all the verbs in English, regular and irregular verbs,,, preference, in all the forms past present, future past participle.. etc.

If you want send me only the sites, it's ok. but if you have the list it's better for me.

THANK YOU

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
That would be a very long list, indeed! You can find a link from the main page to the Merriam-Webster's WWWebster's Dictionary. Wouldn't you be better off learning patterns for verbs and then learning the verbs as you need them, encounter them in your reading, etc.?

QUESTION
I am a student at Waikato University in Hamilton, NZ.

I have a query on a word, 'the'. Of course, it usually plays an important role in sentences. However, as far as I know, it could be used as an adverb as in this example:

"The more, the better."
In the sentence, what is the word class of the word, 'the'?

Your comment would be highly appreciated in advance.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Hamilton, New Zealand Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
In that sentence, the word the is acting as it always does -- as a determiner, or article. Here it's modifying more, which is being used as a noun (which is rather unusual), and the word better, which is also acting as a noun.

Authority: Merriam-Webster's WWWebster's Dictionary. Used with permission.
QUESTION
Which is correct?
A1. Please ensure that he DOES his work.
A2. Please ensure that he DO his work.

I am confused because of the following exception, where B2 is right:
B1. He lets him GOES out every night.
B2. He lets him GO out every night.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Singapore Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Check out our brief section on Causative Verbs. "Let" (like "have" and "make") are followed by an object and then by the base form of another verb. (We probably would use the phrase "make sure" or "be sure" instead of "ensure," but there is nothing wrong with "ensure.")

QUESTION
Is there a loophole or contradiction in English in terms of the following?
12 o'clock am or mn is called "midnight", which connotes that it is in the MIDDLE of the night.
If 12 is in the middle of the night, why is 1 am called "one o'clock in the morning"? Shouldn't it be called "1 o'clock at night"?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Singapore Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Morning seems to be one of the more elastic words in English. Although most people think of morning as lasting from sunrise until noon, we also say that anytime after midnight until noon, no matter how early in the day, is "in the morning." I don't know why. It seems to me that we could use another word for that time of day between 12:01 a.m. and sunrise.

QUESTION
What is the difference between a and b :
  1. What happen?
  2. What happened?
Thanks for helping.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Clinton, North Carolina Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You need the past tense -- happened -- for that construction. The base form of the verb, without inflection, doesn't make sense there.

QUESTION
When should words like county, city and state be capitalized? For example, when writing a document pertaining to a specific county, would I capitalize county in the following example?
The county's average temperature is rising each year.
Thank you!
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Anoka, Minnesota Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The short answer to that is no. There may be occasions, however, when capitalizing the noun referring to such an entity would be appropriate -- primarily when it is necessary to differentiate between that entity and a more generic use of the same noun. At our college, for instance, it is sometimes useful to talk about the College. But you don't want to do that unless it's really necessary, and consistency, of course, is very important.

QUESTION
Hello,

Which of the following is right when I spoke to a friend at a place I had not been there for many years.

  1. I had not been here in years
  2. I have not been here in years
  3. I have not been here for many years
  4. I had not been here for many years
Many thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Kg.Raja, Besut, Trengganu, Malaysia Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Probably the third choice is the one you want. The others are all possible and appropriate in certain contexts, but #3 does the job very nicely. Another way of saying it is "It's been many years since I was here last."

QUESTION
What are the rules governing the "adjectivization" of nouns? Example:
  1. Refer to the department organization chart.
  2. Refer to the departmental organization chart.
  3. Refer to the departmental organizational chart.
  4. Refer to the department organizational chart.
  5. Refer to the department's organization chart.
  6. Refer to the department's organizational chart.
Which, if any, are correct? Thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Bolingbroke, Illinois Monday, June 29, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
This is a tough question. I don't think there are any rules pertaining to this kind of thing, but I also think there are some subtle differences among these items. The possessive form, of course, assigns that chart specifically as a property of that department; it becomes more specifically a matter of ownership. The "-al" suffix suggests that something is pertaining to the thing modified in a certain way; by that I mean that an "organization chart" is just that, a chart graphically depicting the department's organization whereas "organizational chart" suggests that the very purpose of the chart is to aid somehow in the process of organizing (or of conceptualizing that organization). Considering the difference between historic (has a history -- a historic building) and historical (pertaining to history -- historical research) might illuminate the difference between the attributive noun, organization, and the adjective, organizational.


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