The Grammar Logs -- Number Forty-One

The
Grammar
Logs
# 41

Question Would you please tell me which sentence is correct and why.

According to the defendant, he and his girlfriend earn $800.00 a month.
According to the defendant, him and his girlfriend earn $800.00 a month.

Source & Date
of Question Flint, Michigan
13 November 1997
Grammar's
Response When you compound a pronoun with something else, don't change its form. You would say "He earns . . .. " so when you throw in his girlfriend, don't change the form of "he." Thus, it's "He and his girlfriend earn. . . ."

Question I put this question to my local expert, and she recommended I pass it on to the pros. I often put asides (digressions,rambling on, blather, excess words, etc.) into questions, and I can never figure out where to put the question mark.
I always want to put the "?" after the question, because otherwise it looks like the digression is the question. Anyway, which of the following is right?

"How are you enjoying the rain? (like I need to ask)."
"How are you enjoying the rain (like I need to ask?)."
"How are you enjoying the rain (like I need to ask)?"
OK, bad example, "2" kind of makes sense because the digression is also sort of a question, but I couldn't come up with a better example. This could also be 2 sentences I guess but let's pretend.
Source & Date
of Question Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
13 November 1997
Grammar's
Response Since your blather in this case is not a complete sentence and it's nicely and parenthetically tucked into the sentence, I'd put the question mark after the closing parenthetical mark (#3). You might consider always blathering in complete sentences. Of course, since it's blather, it probably doesn't often appear in a context where it matters, but you seem like a devoted blatherer.

Question You have two sentences and are asked to identify the indirect object.
I gave to book to Kate
I gave Kate the book
These sentences mean the exact same thing, but they are written differently. Is Kate the indirect object in both sentence 1 and 2? Or is she considered the object of a preposition in sentence 1?
Source & Date
of Question Massachusetts
17 November 1997
Grammar's
Response In the first sentence, instead of having an indirect object, you've got a prepositional phrase, "to kate." They amount to pretty much the same thing, as you say, but they're a little different.

Question What is the difference between 'may' and 'might.' I am an advanced student of English, and am looking for a more complicated answer than 'may is more probable than might'.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Source & Date
of Question Sydney, Australia
16 November 1997
Grammar's
Response
At the risk of telling you what you already know, may and might are modal auxiliaries. When used in the context of granting or seeking permission, might is the past tense of may, and might, as you point out, is considerably more tentative than may.
May I leave class early?
If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet, might I leave early?
In the context of expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future forms and might + have + past participle is the past form:
She might be my advisor next semester.
She may be my advisor next semester.
She might have advised me not to take biology.

Question By right, the phrase "you guys" should be used strictly for referring to a group of males. However, to be loose, "you guys" can be used as long as there are two or more males in the referring group (because of the plurality of "guys"). Nowadays, users are more loose. They use "you guys" as long as there is one male among the group. But, to my dismay, some users are now using "you guys" even if the group comprises NO MALES at all. Are they still grammatically correct in the informal and oral sense?
Source & Date
of Question Singapore
16 November 1997
Grammar's
Response I don't know how it is that in the plural form "guys" can now refer to females, but that transformation has, indeed, happened, at least in quite informal circumstances. Perhaps the distinction was not worthwhile to begin with, or this is some unwanted result of the need for unbiased writing -- depends on your point of view.

Question Could you tell me why the newspapers when reporting use the passive rather than the active voice?
What are the most important rules when it comes to writing?
Source & Date
of Question Brazil
16 November 1997
Grammar's
Response I don't know. There are some good uses for the passive voice, of course -- when knowing the subject of the action is either inappropriate or unnecessary, for instance. But it might just be that the newspaper is trying to avoid name responsibility. It would depend on the circumstances.
As for the most important rules of grammar, I don't know that either. They're probably the rules your boss remembers from school and is apt to catch you breaking when you're writing him or her a memo. You might start by looking at our college's list of "Deadly Sins."

Question As it concerns comparative adjectives, I understand the rule for when to use "er" and when not to (i.e. lovelier vs. more beautiful) but why does it feel uncomfortable to say "funner"? After all, it is a monosyllabic word that ends in a consonant. Is it correct to say "funner" or is it an exception to the rule? Having a funner time than you. . . .
Source & Date
of Question Davis, Oklahoma
16 November 1997
Grammar's
Response The Merriam Webster's online Dictionary defines fun as a noun and as an adjective with the "sometimes" inflected forms of "funner" and "funnest." Frankly, I have my doubts. I would rather say this movie is more fun than a barrel of Jim Careys, and when it comes to the superlative, I think I'll stick to the noun form of the word and say it's the most fun. Still, the dictionary usually has the last word in such matters.

Question Dear Grandma,
I have two questions. What kind of word is "of"? Is it a pronoun, verb, adjective, etc.... Also what kind of a word is "will"?
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Middletown, Connecticut
17 November 1997
Grammar's
Response The word of is a preposition. It has so many different uses that its definition is almost impossible. The word will is an auxiliary verb, usually. I will run in the race. It's also a noun, meaning volition, desire, etc.

Question When do you use "different than" as opposed to "different from"? Also, when do you use "compared with" instead of "compared to"?
Source & Date
of Question College Park, Maryland
17 November 1997
Grammar's
Response
If you use the phrase "different than," there's a very good chance you're using it incorrectly. However, it is possible. If an entire clause follows, it might work:
My teaching methods are different from Evelyn's, but they're also different now than they were when I started teaching. (Personally, I find this usage difficult to follow.)
We use "compared to" strictly for contrast purposes:
Compared to most Mexican food, this dish is quite mild.
We use "compared with" when we imply both differences and similarities:
Compared with Mexican food, how do you like Scandinavian dishes?

Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997.

Question
Here's the sentence:
"We believe that there is room for improvement."
My question is, can you delete the word "that" from the sentence or is there a specific rule regarding use of the subjunctive, and if so, what is it?
Source & Date
of Question Baltimore, Maryland
17 November 1997
Grammar's
Response
This really has nothing to do with the subjunctive. You've simply taken advantage of a bit of shorthand that English allows. You can sometimes drop the dependent word "that" (subordinating conjunction) as long as meaning remains clear. See our section on Elliptical Clauses.
I know that you like me.
I know you like me.

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Question	Would you please tell me which sentence is correct and why. According to the defendant, he and his girlfriend earn $800.00 a month. According to the defendant, him and his girlfriend earn $800.00 a month.
Source & Date of Question	Flint, Michigan 13 November 1997
Grammar's Response	When you compound a pronoun with something else, don't change its form. You would say "He earns . . .. " so when you throw in his girlfriend, don't change the form of "he." Thus, it's "He and his girlfriend earn. . . ."

Question	I put this question to my local expert, and she recommended I pass it on to the pros. I often put asides (digressions,rambling on, blather, excess words, etc.) into questions, and I can never figure out where to put the question mark. I always want to put the "?" after the question, because otherwise it looks like the digression is the question. Anyway, which of the following is right? "How are you enjoying the rain? (like I need to ask)." "How are you enjoying the rain (like I need to ask?)." "How are you enjoying the rain (like I need to ask)?" OK, bad example, "2" kind of makes sense because the digression is also sort of a question, but I couldn't come up with a better example. This could also be 2 sentences I guess but let's pretend.
Source & Date of Question	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 13 November 1997
Grammar's Response	Since your blather in this case is not a complete sentence and it's nicely and parenthetically tucked into the sentence, I'd put the question mark after the closing parenthetical mark (#3). You might consider always blathering in complete sentences. Of course, since it's blather, it probably doesn't often appear in a context where it matters, but you seem like a devoted blatherer.

Question	You have two sentences and are asked to identify the indirect object. I gave to book to Kate I gave Kate the book These sentences mean the exact same thing, but they are written differently. Is Kate the indirect object in both sentence 1 and 2? Or is she considered the object of a preposition in sentence 1?
Source & Date of Question	Massachusetts 17 November 1997
Grammar's Response	In the first sentence, instead of having an indirect object, you've got a prepositional phrase, "to kate." They amount to pretty much the same thing, as you say, but they're a little different.

Question	What is the difference between 'may' and 'might.' I am an advanced student of English, and am looking for a more complicated answer than 'may is more probable than might'. I look forward to hearing from you.
Source & Date of Question	Sydney, Australia 16 November 1997
Grammar's Response	At the risk of telling you what you already know, may and might are modal auxiliaries. When used in the context of granting or seeking permission, might is the past tense of may, and might, as you point out, is considerably more tentative than may. May I leave class early? If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet, might I leave early? In the context of expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future forms and might + have + past participle is the past form: She might be my advisor next semester. She may be my advisor next semester. She might have advised me not to take biology.

Question	Could you tell me why the newspapers when reporting use the passive rather than the active voice? What are the most important rules when it comes to writing?
Source & Date of Question	Brazil 16 November 1997
Grammar's Response	I don't know. There are some good uses for the passive voice, of course -- when knowing the subject of the action is either inappropriate or unnecessary, for instance. But it might just be that the newspaper is trying to avoid name responsibility. It would depend on the circumstances. As for the most important rules of grammar, I don't know that either. They're probably the rules your boss remembers from school and is apt to catch you breaking when you're writing him or her a memo. You might start by looking at our college's list of "Deadly Sins."

Question	By right, the phrase "you guys" should be used strictly for referring to a group of males. However, to be loose, "you guys" can be used as long as there are two or more males in the referring group (because of the plurality of "guys"). Nowadays, users are more loose. They use "you guys" as long as there is one male among the group. But, to my dismay, some users are now using "you guys" even if the group comprises NO MALES at all. Are they still grammatically correct in the informal and oral sense?
Source & Date of Question	Singapore 16 November 1997
Grammar's Response	I don't know how it is that in the plural form "guys" can now refer to females, but that transformation has, indeed, happened, at least in quite informal circumstances. Perhaps the distinction was not worthwhile to begin with, or this is some unwanted result of the need for unbiased writing -- depends on your point of view.

Question	As it concerns comparative adjectives, I understand the rule for when to use "er" and when not to (i.e. lovelier vs. more beautiful) but why does it feel uncomfortable to say "funner"? After all, it is a monosyllabic word that ends in a consonant. Is it correct to say "funner" or is it an exception to the rule? Having a funner time than you. . . .
Source & Date of Question	Davis, Oklahoma 16 November 1997
Grammar's Response	The Merriam Webster's online Dictionary defines fun as a noun and as an adjective with the "sometimes" inflected forms of "funner" and "funnest." Frankly, I have my doubts. I would rather say this movie is more fun than a barrel of Jim Careys, and when it comes to the superlative, I think I'll stick to the noun form of the word and say it's the most fun. Still, the dictionary usually has the last word in such matters.

Question	Dear Grandma, I have two questions. What kind of word is "of"? Is it a pronoun, verb, adjective, etc.... Also what kind of a word is "will"? Thank you.
Source & Date of Question	Middletown, Connecticut 17 November 1997
Grammar's Response	The word of is a preposition. It has so many different uses that its definition is almost impossible. The word will is an auxiliary verb, usually. I will run in the race. It's also a noun, meaning volition, desire, etc.

Question	Here's the sentence: "We believe that there is room for improvement." My question is, can you delete the word "that" from the sentence or is there a specific rule regarding use of the subjunctive, and if so, what is it?
Source & Date of Question	Baltimore, Maryland 17 November 1997
Grammar's Response	This really has nothing to do with the subjunctive. You've simply taken advantage of a bit of shorthand that English allows. You can sometimes drop the dependent word "that" (subordinating conjunction) as long as meaning remains clear. See our section on Elliptical Clauses. I know that you like me. I know you like me.