| QUESTION |
| Just wondering what kind of article goes in front of the noun hospital
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Los Angeles, California  Tuesday, June 30, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| We would write, "They're building a hospital in Newport." Or "He was admitted to the hospital." I have been told that in some parts of the world, you can leave out the article altogether, but I don't know that as a fact: "We visited our friend in hospital" (much as we might leave out the article in "We visited our friend in college."). We would not, however, write an hospital, if that's what you're really asking.
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| QUESTION |
Dear Grammar,
Is the use of articles with Spanish names controlled by the same rules as for English names? Specifically, should one say an event is to be held at the El Encanto Hotel (even though "El" means "the")?
Many thanks.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Santa Barbara, California Tuesday, June 30, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In other words (if I may), is the word the redundant in front of a foreign phrase or name already containing an article? That's a very good question, and I can't find an authoritative answer for you. My suggestion is that the the would be redundant and ought to be omitted. If others would like to suggest a better answer or provide a good reference on this question, please do by means of e-mail
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| QUESTION |
My question is: do you need to use a comma before a clause beginning with a conjunction when it is used at the foot of the sentence? For example, The building exploded with a fiery glow, as Johnson fell from the its roof.
I know that if the order is inverted, the sentence will be correct. Moreover, is For more information, contact your local pop store correct? Contact your local pop store sounds like almost a dangling modifier. It could be an absolute clause stating a fact?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Wednesday, July 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The first sentence would definitely be better off inverted. If you leave it the way it is, you'll have to decide if the clause introduced by "as" is essential to the meaning of the sentence or not. If it is parenthetical, not essential, you will set it off with a comma; otherwise, you won't. You might want to review the section on Clauses and the rule on comma usage involving coordinating conjunctions. I would leave the comma out of that sentence.
"Contact your local pop store" (whatever that is) is a directive or an order or a suggestion (an imperative sentence). Its subject, you, is understood.
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| QUESTION |
Tell me if you find any problem with the following sentence:
The Japanese government should make a law that
substantially increases a patient's participation in making
informed decisions concerning his or her medical treatment.
as opposed to saying:
The Japanese government should make a law that
substantially increases patients' participation in making
informed decisions concerning his or her medical treatment.
Someone suggested that "a patient's participation" would refer to one patient only. I said it's a generic reference to each and every patient, but he is not convinced. Please help.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Tokyo, Japan Wednesday, July 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Patient's participation" does refer to a singular, generic patient. I guess that means you're both right, doesn't it? There's nothing wrong with that first sentence. In the second sentence, we should change "his or her" to the plural possessive, "their."
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