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The Grammar Logs # 181 |
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| QUESTION |
Can you use time adverbials built on "after", "before" and "till", "untill" with Continuous tenses (Past and Future) e.g.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Opole, Poland  Thursday, August 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| First of all, avoid "till" and watch the spelling of until, but yes, those constructions are possible. "He was writing that letter after five" is a bit peculiar, but possible ("He wrote that letter after five" is more likely.) "He will be watching TV before 5" can mean that he won't be watching it after five or it can mean that he starts watching sometime before five and then continues to watch it. |
| QUESTION |
| What's the difference between the usage of "Thank you for your response." and "Thank you for your respond."? Why does the respond in the mentioned sentence need to be in plural form rather than in singular form? Many thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hong Kong Thursday, August 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Respond" is a verb and we can't use it that way. We could say, "Thank you for responding," I suppose. (I hope I'm not missing your point here. You might want to write again on this issue if I've only confused you.) |
| QUESTION |
| My questions are in regard as to why we don't capitalize (all) the names of animals in a string, such as "Northern Siberian tiger" (here "tiger" shouldn't be capitalize). Q.1: Why don't we capitalize "tiger"? Also, Q.2: Why don't we capitalize the animal names of "maned wolf", or "stickleback fish"? I know there's a reason/rule that says "why" we don't, but I can't remember what it is. Many thanks. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Denton, Texas Thursday, August 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| We don't normally capitalize the common names of animals. Adjectives in front of those names will be capitalized if they're proper nouns or associated with proper nouns. The capitalization of latin names for animals is rather complicated and you'd need a biology text to explain that, but normally animals' names are written in lower case. |
| QUESTION |
| lack of agreement between subject and verb |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Norfolk, Virginia Thursday, August 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
You'll have to make your question much more specific than that. Be sure to check out the digital handout on agreement at http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm,take the various quizzes listed in the Quiz List about subject-verb issues, and then write back if you still have questions. |
| QUESTION |
| Hi, I'm writing a paper on racism in the South. Is South capitalized or lowercased? Do I say racism in the south or racism in the South? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You can capitalize a region such as the South or the Northeast. Don't capitalize such words when they're used as adjectives: I live in northeast Connecticut. |
| QUESTION |
Where would someone put an apostrophe if they were trying to say that someone is something? Or would it not even be used at all?
ie.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Syracuse, New York Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Jonathan's a brilliant student -- creating a contraction by using the apostrophe to substitute for the missing "i." |
| QUESTION |
I am addressing a letter to two doctors. Would i write
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You should write Drs. Jones and Smith, capitalizing their names. |
| QUESTION |
Is it correct English to end a sentence in a prepositional phrase?
Example: Where is Bobby at?I use to end my sentences in this manner, and the teacher would state to me "Bobby is behind the at!" Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Upland, California Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The problem with that example sentence is not so much that you're ending a sentence with a preposition; you're ending the sentence with a completely unnecessary word: "Where is Bobby?" will suffice nicely. As for ending a sentence with a preposition (there is never a problem with ending a sentence with a Prepositional Phrase, but some people get upset with sentence-ending prepositions), see our section on Prepositions. |
| QUESTION |
| You do not address the use of "its'" How should this be used? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Palo Alto, California Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| This is addressed in the Notorious Confusables. Its is the possessive of it. What is its height? its color? its temperature. Most people have no problem with its until they confuse it with it's, which looks like a possessive (because of the apostrophe) but is really a contraction for either it is or it has: it's been nice; it's beautiful outside. |
| QUESTION |
Comma use: Do I eliminate the comma or let it stand after the year in the following sentences?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Newport, Rhode Island Friday, August 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| When you use this form to write the date and you include both the date and the year, the year is treated as a parenthetical element and you put a comma on both sides of it. Without the date, leave out the commas altogether: "at the August 1998 meeting." And with the more universal way of writing dates, don't use a comma: "at the 25 June 1998 meeting. . . ." |
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