The Grammar Logs -- Number Twenty-Nine

The
Grammar
Logs
# 29

Question What is the most appropriate format for writing a journal? Journal as in writing information of experiences, like an autobiography not like a published journal.
Source & Date
of Question Somerset, New Jersey
15 September 1997
Grammar's
Response Is this in response to an assignment? A journal is such a personal medium of self-expression that I doubt if there's any established form for writing one. If it's your own journal, for your own recording of experiences, thoughts, feelings, use whatever form feels good and handy. Bookstores sell those pretty blank books for journal writing. I find them somewhat cumbersome, though it is nice to have something hard to write against when you're lying in a tent or sitting on a bus. Whatever fits in your backpack, if you ask me. If it's something you're doing for an assignment, I think you'd better ask your instructor, as there are as many possible forms for journal entries as there are individuals. A great deal depends on what and how much your instructor is looking for.

Question The Discrepancies among Shall, Will, Should & Would
I am always told that "should" is the past tense of "shall", just like "would" is the past tense of "will". I believe that although the latter may be true, the former can never be true.
"Should" is a normative term (a suggestion, "ought to").
A1. We should abolish this rule (normative advice).
A2. We shall abolish this rule (we have decided/are going to, = "will").
Clearly, A1 is NOT the past tense of A2.
Thus, in terms of meaning, "shall" and "will" should go together ("shall" for the pronouns "I" and "we", and "will" for others), and "should" should stand alone, or go with words like, "ought to".
Consider the following:
B1. If I stop now, I SHALL fail.
B2. If he stops now, he WILL fail.
B3. If I stopped yesterday, I WOULD fail.
Thus, "would" should be the past tense of both "will" and "shall", instead of "should" being the past tense of "shall".
The past tense of "should" should be "should have":
C1. You should scold him now.
C2. You should have scolded him just now.
Now, under what case is SHOULD the past tense of SHALL, which most dictionaries contend?
Source & Date
of Question Singapore
26 September 1997
Grammar's
Response In "should have scolded" you're using should as part of an auxiliary string to create a past tense verb, so that doesn't really count. As a putative auxiliary verb, however, should is more clearly the past tense of shall:
I was extremely upset that he should earn more money than my brother.

Question How about these two sentences:
He is fifteen years old.
He is a fifteen-year old.
Why the plural of years in the first, the singular form in the second?
Thanks for any help.
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
26 September 1997
Grammar's
Response When you create a compound word, in this case an adjective, like this, all kinds of things can happen. In this case, you didn't go quite far enough in the compounding process: this lad is a fifteen-year-old. (You need that second hyphen.) Probably, then, through sheer usage, the "s" in such constructions has disappeared.

Question I am planning on writing a short story for a magazine article to start with, with the hope of future publication into a book. The subject is of my Spiritual Journey. I'm looking for help in regards to doing an outline, preparing a works-cited page.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Source & Date
of Question Jacksonville, Florida
28 September 1997
Grammar's
Response I recommend our college's Guide for Writing Research Papers. If you're really launching into a publishing project, you probably should go buy either the MLA Handbook or the APA Publication Manual itself. I must say, however, that a personal spiritual journey hardly sounds like the kind of thing that would need a Works Cited page, or even an outline for that matter, but perhaps I misunderstand what such a book would be like. Good luck with it.

Question Is it ok to write "thanking you in advance" as the closing wording in a business letter? If it is not correct, what would one do instead?
Source & Date
of Question North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
28 September 1997
Grammar's
Response Some people regard it as bad manners to say "Thanking you in advance," saying it creates the impression that the speaker is too lazy to say "thank you" when a service is actually accomplished. Others suggest that it's logically fuzzy to thank someone for something that hasn't happened yet. There's nothing really wrong, is there, in closing with a "Thank you very much." and then "Sincerely yours"?

Question *WHEN* exactly did the usage of "its" as *it possessive* come into usage? I seem to remember being taught that *it possessive* was "it's," then was "corrected" in college. I can't seem to get a real answer as to WHY this is, as it seems to fly in the face of the rest of the possessive rules.
Mike's car = the car of Mike
Dave's bike = the bike of Dave
it's hand = the hand of it
Comparing the "its" possessive to "hers" or "theirs" is strange. I don't say "hers hair". I say "her hair."
I argued with someone in college and she said, "Using 'it's' as possessive would be confusing because I wouldn't know if you meant 'IT IS HAND' or 'the hand that belongs to it'." That's just a silly argument, as context dictates how you'd read it.
Sorry if this doesn't make sense! It's been a bee in my bonnet since first semester at college. It also seems to unnecessarily complicate the English language, already a complicated enough language!
Source & Date
of Question Detroit, Michigan
29 September 1997
Grammar's
Response There is a consistency in it's=it is/it has and its=possessive of it in that none of the personal pronouns form a possessive with an apostrophe. Compare "it" with "he," and the consistency is a bit more clear. His (no apostrophe) and its (no apostrophe) are both possessive. Whereas he's = he is/he has and it's = it is/it has. Also "whose": whose (no apostrophe) is the possessive and who's = who is.
You're just going to have to search out the person who taught you this the wrong way in the first place and sue him or her or have that person flogged. Get it out of your system once and for all.

Question Which is correct?
A1. They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they REACH there, it would be very late.
A2. They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they REACHED there, it would be very late.
I'd personally prefer A1 because the "reach" here is a non-consummated verb in the past.
Source & Date
of Question Singapore
29 September 1997
Grammar's
Response
I don't know what a "non-consummated verb" is, but it certainly sounds pathetic. When we use a past or past perfect tense in an independent clause, we should use a past or past perfect tense verb in accompanying dependent clauses. We should probably say:
"They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they reached there, it would have been very late."
It's not quite logical to mix your time references as in A1. The subordinate clause depends on the independent clause for its sense of time reference.

Question If I were here I would not be there.
Correct usage?
Source & Date
of Question Williams Lake B.C., Canada
29 September 1997
Grammar's
Response Yes, you have correctly used the subjunctive mood in that sentence! I'm assuming that it makes sense to express doubt about your being somewhere in the present. (Otherwise you would've said, "If I were here, I would not HAVE been there," right?) This probably goes to prove that it doesn't pay to think about something too much.

Question Can therefore act as a coordinating conjunction? I hope you can clarify the following:

In the next sentence so is a coordinating conjunction (right?)
The teachers are on strike, so the students do not have school.
If we replace so by therefore (as far as I know therefore can be an adverb or conjunctive adverb)
The teachers are on strike, therefore the students do not have school.
Is therefore a coordinating conjunction?
2) Another question concerning therefore:
In the following,
Because you studied algebra, you can therefore take calculus.
Here because/therefore are correlative conjunctions? or is because a subordinating conjunction (this seems weird though)
3) Another situation that needs to be clarified.
If I write:
I don't dislike John. On the contrary, he's one of my best friends.
On the contrary is a conjunctive adverb, right? I didn't think conjunctive adverbs could link simple sentences just independent clauses within a sentence.

Once again,
Thank you for your time and patience.
I truly appreciate your help.

Source & Date
of Question Massachusetts
29 September 1997
Grammar's
Response 1. Yes, so is a coordinating conjunction, but, no, therefore cannot be a coordinating conjunction. That position is held by the seven dwarfs: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so. Those big guys like therefore, nevertheless, consequently are conjunctive adverbs and can't act as coordinating conjunctions.
2. Therefore is redundant in that second example; it implies a relationship that is implicit in the subordinating word because. Nope, it's not a correlative conjunction.
3. Those conjunctive adverbs are often discovered within sentences, connecting independent clauses. However, they are also useful for connecting sentences themselves. Very useful.

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Question	How about these two sentences: He is fifteen years old. He is a fifteen-year old. Why the plural of years in the first, the singular form in the second? Thanks for any help.
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 26 September 1997
Grammar's Response	When you create a compound word, in this case an adjective, like this, all kinds of things can happen. In this case, you didn't go quite far enough in the compounding process: this lad is a fifteen-year-old. (You need that second hyphen.) Probably, then, through sheer usage, the "s" in such constructions has disappeared.

Question	I am planning on writing a short story for a magazine article to start with, with the hope of future publication into a book. The subject is of my Spiritual Journey. I'm looking for help in regards to doing an outline, preparing a works-cited page. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Source & Date of Question	Jacksonville, Florida 28 September 1997
Grammar's Response	I recommend our college's Guide for Writing Research Papers. If you're really launching into a publishing project, you probably should go buy either the MLA Handbook or the APA Publication Manual itself. I must say, however, that a personal spiritual journey hardly sounds like the kind of thing that would need a Works Cited page, or even an outline for that matter, but perhaps I misunderstand what such a book would be like. Good luck with it.

Question	Which is correct? A1. They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they REACH there, it would be very late. A2. They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they REACHED there, it would be very late. I'd personally prefer A1 because the "reach" here is a non-consummated verb in the past.
Source & Date of Question	Singapore 29 September 1997
Grammar's Response	I don't know what a "non-consummated verb" is, but it certainly sounds pathetic. When we use a past or past perfect tense in an independent clause, we should use a past or past perfect tense verb in accompanying dependent clauses. We should probably say: "They did not want to go to the beach because by the time they reached there, it would have been very late." It's not quite logical to mix your time references as in A1. The subordinate clause depends on the independent clause for its sense of time reference.

Question	If I were here I would not be there. Correct usage?
Source & Date of Question	Williams Lake B.C., Canada 29 September 1997
Grammar's Response	Yes, you have correctly used the subjunctive mood in that sentence! I'm assuming that it makes sense to express doubt about your being somewhere in the present. (Otherwise you would've said, "If I were here, I would not HAVE been there," right?) This probably goes to prove that it doesn't pay to think about something too much.

Question	What is the most appropriate format for writing a journal? Journal as in writing information of experiences, like an autobiography not like a published journal.
Source & Date of Question	Somerset, New Jersey 15 September 1997
Grammar's Response	Is this in response to an assignment? A journal is such a personal medium of self-expression that I doubt if there's any established form for writing one. If it's your own journal, for your own recording of experiences, thoughts, feelings, use whatever form feels good and handy. Bookstores sell those pretty blank books for journal writing. I find them somewhat cumbersome, though it is nice to have something hard to write against when you're lying in a tent or sitting on a bus. Whatever fits in your backpack, if you ask me. If it's something you're doing for an assignment, I think you'd better ask your instructor, as there are as many possible forms for journal entries as there are individuals. A great deal depends on what and how much your instructor is looking for.

Question	Is it ok to write "thanking you in advance" as the closing wording in a business letter? If it is not correct, what would one do instead?
Source & Date of Question	North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 28 September 1997
Grammar's Response	Some people regard it as bad manners to say "Thanking you in advance," saying it creates the impression that the speaker is too lazy to say "thank you" when a service is actually accomplished. Others suggest that it's logically fuzzy to thank someone for something that hasn't happened yet. There's nothing really wrong, is there, in closing with a "Thank you very much." and then "Sincerely yours"?