The Grammar Logs -- Number Fifty-Three

The
Grammar
Logs
# 53

Question Is it proper English to use an adverb as the last word in a sentence?
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
24 December 1997
Grammar's
Response I don't know of any rule that says you can't. But do it quickly. And don't do it too often.

Question
Which one is the correct answer?
A : Where is Tony?
B : He is at/in school.
A : Has he finished high school?
B : Yes. He is at/in college now. He is a student at/in UCLA.
I am always confusing at and in. Please teach me hot to tell the difference among them.
Source & Date
of Question Manchester, New Hampshire
25 December 1997
Grammar's
Response It's very difficult to define prepositions, to say why they're used in some circumstance but not in another that seems so similar. You're pointing out just a couple of those areas. In your first sentence, saying he's in school means that he's currently in the school building or he's currently in attendance at some school. Saying he's at school means the same thing. However, we would say he's "in college" and going to school "at UCLA." I wish I could tell you why, but I can't; it's a matter of idiomatic usage.

Question Hi
I am an English major. I have accumulated a lot of grammatical questions in study. I hope you can help me with them.Your patience and effort will be greatly appreciated. *I find this sentence in one of my reference books.
"In an effort to reduce their inventories, Italian vintners have cut prices; their wines are priced to sell, and they do."
What does "and they do" mean here?
*There are some verbs in English after which we should use subjunctive mood.Words like "order", "require", "rule" fall into this category. We usually say, "...require that ...should ...". But we can also use "to do..." after such words. Can you tell me when should we use the subjunctive mood and when should we use "to do..." after these words?

Senator Lasker has proposed legislation requiring employers to retain all older workers indefinitely or show just cause for dismissal.
Most state constitutions now mandate that the state budget be balanced each year.

Source & Date
of Question Beijing, China
25 December 1997
Grammar's
Response "And they do" is an elliptical construction, with the main part of the verb left out: "and they do sell." As for your question about the subjunctive, the difference might be in the use of the dependent clause. We could say, in the first sentence, for instance, that the senator has proposed legislation requiring that employers retain all older workers. . . Frankly, I'm guessing.

Question Dear Grammar,
What is the difference between using 'have received' and 'received' for the following sentences?

I have received your christmas card.
I received your christmas card.
Which one is more appropriate?
Source & Date
of Question Oakland, California
25 December 1997
Grammar's
Response If you really stress the "have" part of the verb, you will hear an insistence on the act of having received this card at some time in the past. Otherwise, there's not much difference between the simple past "received" and the present perfect "have received." I worked hard all my life. I have worked hard all my life. These mean pretty much the same, in writing anyway. Put the stress on the "have," in speaking, and you'll hear a bit of a difference. The past tense tells us only that the action is completed; the present perfect tells us that as of now the action is completed, finished.

Question Would like to know the proper use and format for placement of footnotes for reference in manuscripts. I have seen different formats. Thank You
Source & Date
of Question Green Valley, Arizona
25 December 1997
Grammar's
Response Although it surely won't answer all your questions, you might start with our Guide to Writing Research Papers, where there is a special section devoted to the use of footnotes and endnotes.

Question I would like to know the rule regarding adverbs. For example ( I feel badly vs I feel bad. I felt terribly vs. I felt terrible.) Which is correct? Thanks for your help!
Source & Date
of Question Boulder, Colorado
28 December 1997
Grammar's
Response Your confusion over the adverb of choice here is because we normally insist that adverbs modify verbs, so it feels right to say "I feel badly." However, after linking verbs and verbs expressing the human senses, we should use adjectives: "I feel bad." (Or "it smells bad" or "it looks pretty bad in here.")

Question Is there a book (or web site) that would be akin to "Grammar for dummies," or "Idiots guide to grammar?"
Something that is a good handbook companion that deals with thought process and association in memorization and application?
Source & Date
of Question Nashville, Tennessee
28 December 1997
Grammar's
Response If there is, I've forgotten it. 8-)
The closest I've seen to something like this is a site called "Ten Most Common Grammar Mistakes," or something like that. If you do a search for "most common grammar errors," you'll probably come up with it.

Question In Pronouns
*Change noun to pronoun.
"My brother and I" are going for a walk with "our uncle."
In Passive and Active
Change to active:
1)A new edition has been written to children.
2)The gates will be locked at 9:00 P.M.

Change to Passive:
1) I have chosen a good language school for my son to study in.
2) Children couldn't have done all this damage.
Source & Date
of Question Qatar
28 December 1997
Grammar's
Response In your first sentence, we'd change the nouns to pronouns by saying "He and I are going for a walk with our uncle." You can't really change "our uncle" to "him" without creating a confusing sentence. Changing to the active, you could write "Someone has written a new edition for children." and "They will lock the gates at 9 pm." Changing to the passive, you could write "All this damage couldn't have been done by children." But to change that first sentence to the passive --"A good language school for my son to study in has been chosen by me." -- is not very satisfactory.

Question Q:In which order do you say YOU, HE, I...?
Eg.Do you say You, he and I will go to fishing today.
OR He, you and I

Q:In which order do you say THEY, YOU, WE...?
Source & Date
of Question Somewhere, New Zealand
28 December 1997
Grammar's
Response It is good form in English always to put the first person (singular or plural) last. (It is one of the very few ways that English is more polite than some other languages.) The order of the other pronouns you list is strictly up to you, and will depend on what sounds best to you and (perhaps) to whom you are speaking. It probably makes sense to put the most important pronoun first, if there is a clear reason for one being more important than the other.

Question Writing footnotes, subsequent references (Ibid., Op. Cit.)
Source & Date
of Question Green Valley, Arizona
28 December 1997
Grammar's
Response Assuming you're using the mla-style format, avoid using either ibid or op. cit. Instead use only the author's last name and page number of the resource you're referring to. If there's more than one resource for that person, use a shortened version of the title along with the last name and page number.

Previous Grammar Log
Next Grammar Log
Index of Grammar Logs
Guide to Grammar and Writing

Question	Which one is the correct answer? A : Where is Tony? B : He is at/in school. A : Has he finished high school? B : Yes. He is at/in college now. He is a student at/in UCLA. I am always confusing at and in. Please teach me hot to tell the difference among them.
Source & Date of Question	Manchester, New Hampshire 25 December 1997
Grammar's Response	It's very difficult to define prepositions, to say why they're used in some circumstance but not in another that seems so similar. You're pointing out just a couple of those areas. In your first sentence, saying he's in school means that he's currently in the school building or he's currently in attendance at some school. Saying he's at school means the same thing. However, we would say he's "in college" and going to school "at UCLA." I wish I could tell you why, but I can't; it's a matter of idiomatic usage.

Question	Hi I am an English major. I have accumulated a lot of grammatical questions in study. I hope you can help me with them.Your patience and effort will be greatly appreciated. I find this sentence in one of my reference books. "In an effort to reduce their inventories, Italian vintners have cut prices; their wines are priced to sell, and they do." What does "and they do" mean here? There are some verbs in English after which we should use subjunctive mood.Words like "order", "require", "rule" fall into this category. We usually say, "...require that ...should ...". But we can also use "to do..." after such words. Can you tell me when should we use the subjunctive mood and when should we use "to do..." after these words? Senator Lasker has proposed legislation requiring employers to retain all older workers indefinitely or show just cause for dismissal. Most state constitutions now mandate that the state budget be balanced each year.
Source & Date of Question	Beijing, China 25 December 1997
Grammar's Response	"And they do" is an elliptical construction, with the main part of the verb left out: "and they do sell." As for your question about the subjunctive, the difference might be in the use of the dependent clause. We could say, in the first sentence, for instance, that the senator has proposed legislation requiring that employers retain all older workers. . . Frankly, I'm guessing.

Question	Dear Grammar, What is the difference between using 'have received' and 'received' for the following sentences? I have received your christmas card. I received your christmas card. Which one is more appropriate?
Source & Date of Question	Oakland, California 25 December 1997
Grammar's Response	If you really stress the "have" part of the verb, you will hear an insistence on the act of having received this card at some time in the past. Otherwise, there's not much difference between the simple past "received" and the present perfect "have received." I worked hard all my life. I have worked hard all my life. These mean pretty much the same, in writing anyway. Put the stress on the "have," in speaking, and you'll hear a bit of a difference. The past tense tells us only that the action is completed; the present perfect tells us that as of now the action is completed, finished.

Question	Is there a book (or web site) that would be akin to "Grammar for dummies," or "Idiots guide to grammar?" Something that is a good handbook companion that deals with thought process and association in memorization and application?
Source & Date of Question	Nashville, Tennessee 28 December 1997
Grammar's Response	If there is, I've forgotten it. 8-) The closest I've seen to something like this is a site called "Ten Most Common Grammar Mistakes," or something like that. If you do a search for "most common grammar errors," you'll probably come up with it.

Question	In Pronouns *Change noun to pronoun. "My brother and I" are going for a walk with "our uncle." In Passive and Active Change to active: 1)A new edition has been written to children. 2)The gates will be locked at 9:00 P.M. Change to Passive: 1) I have chosen a good language school for my son to study in. 2) Children couldn't have done all this damage.
Source & Date of Question	Qatar 28 December 1997
Grammar's Response	In your first sentence, we'd change the nouns to pronouns by saying "He and I are going for a walk with our uncle." You can't really change "our uncle" to "him" without creating a confusing sentence. Changing to the active, you could write "Someone has written a new edition for children." and "They will lock the gates at 9 pm." Changing to the passive, you could write "All this damage couldn't have been done by children." But to change that first sentence to the passive --"A good language school for my son to study in has been chosen by me." -- is not very satisfactory.

Question	Is it proper English to use an adverb as the last word in a sentence?
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 24 December 1997
Grammar's Response	I don't know of any rule that says you can't. But do it quickly. And don't do it too often.

Question	Would like to know the proper use and format for placement of footnotes for reference in manuscripts. I have seen different formats. Thank You
Source & Date of Question	Green Valley, Arizona 25 December 1997
Grammar's Response	Although it surely won't answer all your questions, you might start with our Guide to Writing Research Papers, where there is a special section devoted to the use of footnotes and endnotes.

Question	I would like to know the rule regarding adverbs. For example ( I feel badly vs I feel bad. I felt terribly vs. I felt terrible.) Which is correct? Thanks for your help!
Source & Date of Question	Boulder, Colorado 28 December 1997
Grammar's Response	Your confusion over the adverb of choice here is because we normally insist that adverbs modify verbs, so it feels right to say "I feel badly." However, after linking verbs and verbs expressing the human senses, we should use adjectives: "I feel bad." (Or "it smells bad" or "it looks pretty bad in here.")

Question	Q:In which order do you say YOU, HE, I...? Eg.Do you say You, he and I will go to fishing today. OR He, you and I Q:In which order do you say THEY, YOU, WE...?
Source & Date of Question	Somewhere, New Zealand 28 December 1997
Grammar's Response	It is good form in English always to put the first person (singular or plural) last. (It is one of the very few ways that English is more polite than some other languages.) The order of the other pronouns you list is strictly up to you, and will depend on what sounds best to you and (perhaps) to whom you are speaking. It probably makes sense to put the most important pronoun first, if there is a clear reason for one being more important than the other.

Question	Writing footnotes, subsequent references (Ibid., Op. Cit.)
Source & Date of Question	Green Valley, Arizona 28 December 1997
Grammar's Response	Assuming you're using the mla-style format, avoid using either ibid or op. cit. Instead use only the author's last name and page number of the resource you're referring to. If there's more than one resource for that person, use a shortened version of the title along with the last name and page number.