The Grammar Logs -- Number Sixty-One

The
Grammar
Logs
# 61

Question What is a "compound noun"?
I always assumed it was a word like "firefly", but did not consider "John Brown" as a compund noun. Are two separate words such as a proper noun also a compound noun?
Source & Date
of Question Langley, B.C. Canada
23 January 1998
Grammar's
Response I would not regard proper nouns (such as John Brown) as compound words. Compound nouns have a tendency to change over time. Perhaps, originally, the firefly was a fire fly, and then it became a fire-fly, and then it became a firefly. There is often a question, in other words, about how to treat a compound noun, a question that frequently requires a visit to an authoritative dictionary (and even there you might find some disagreements, especially over time, about how to spell the word). However, I don't think anyone is going to write Mr. Brown's name as Johnbrown any time soon. The distinction between proper nouns (that may consist of more than one word) and compound words is, as you point out, a useful one.

Question Why is the pronoun I written with a capital letter?
Source & Date
of Question Bluffton, Ohio
23 January 1998
Grammar's
Response The short answer is that I don't know. I suspect that it's much more a matter for the history of typography than of grammar. That little letter i can get lost among its big brothers. A single-letter word is such an unusual thing that perhaps it needs to get capitalized so it won't get lost -- especially when it tends to get lost all the time, as I do? We take this capitalization so for granted that when the poet e.e. cummings played around with not capitalizing the personal pronoun back in the 30s, it was nearly a revolution.

Question Could you please tell me when I have to use "this" and "that"?
Source & Date
of Question France
23 January 1998
Grammar's
Response The difference between these two demonstrative pronouns is usually a matter of how we refer to things. If I say "this" car is falling apart, I'm probably sitting in it or I'm standing right next to it, with my hands on it, perhaps. If I say "that" car is falling apart, I'm pointing to it on the highway or over there, in the driveway. Does that answer your question?

Question I need to know the origins and developments of the following words:

Sophisticated
hussy
boycott
calico
nice
I would really appreciate your response!
Source & Date
of Question Chicago, Illinois
23 January 1998
Grammar's
Response
You don't want my help, you want the help of a good dictionary. The online Merriam Webster's gives us some etymological information, but not much. This is what I found for sophisticated, for example:
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin sophisticatus, past participle of sophisticare, from Latin sophisticus sophistic, from Greek sophistikos, from sophistEs sophist Date: 15th century
If you're looking for more than that, you'll need a better dictionary, something like the Oxford Unabridged, and that might require a trip to your local library -- something to ask for next Christmas.

Question Is there ever a time that it is proper to put an apostrophe in the word "its"? Not as a contraction of "it is" (i.e. it's), but as a plural of "it". As in, like if you're looking at an animal or reptile or something and you say:
"Look at it. What is in it's mouth?"
My boss and I always have a difference of opinion about the plural of "it". Is there such a thing?
Source & Date
of Question Doylestown, Pennsylvania
23 January 1998
Grammar's
Response Well, let's say you're talking about a sentence in which you've used the word it four times. You could say "There are four it's in that sentence." In the sentence you give us, though, you're looking for the possessive of it, which does not have an apostrophe. The plural of it is they -- unless you're talking not about the object but about the word itself, as in "There are four it's in that sentence." Notice, by the way, that the apostrophe and the "s" are not italicized, thus signifying that we have pluralized the word as word.

Question When do you but commas around "as well as"? What is the correct term to describe the part of a sentence as well as is? Do you always enclose this in commas or only in specific instances or never?
For instance:
No one plays the violin as well as Sue.
We can ship within the state, as well as, abroad.
It's been awhile since I've been in school. It seems to me if you can use "and" instead of the "as well as" in the sentence you separate it with commas. Can't remember the grammar rule......Please help! Need answer by Sunday night..... Can you also give me some sort of reference of a good book about grammar to have on hand.
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Warrenton, Virginia
24 January 1998
Grammar's
Response You probably will find situations in which you'll be using "as well as" and need to put a comma in front of it, just as you would put a comma in front of the conjunction and. But I can't think of any offhand. You certainly wouldn't want commas in the examples you give us.
There are dozens of good grammar reference books; it all depends on what you want to spend. Elements of Style is an old, useable, not too expensive favorite. The Chicago Manual of Style probably has more than you need, but it does have everything. The New York Public Library _Writer's Guide to Style and Usage_ is eminently readable, but its index is weak. These last two will set you back $35 apiece. You might visit a nearby college bookstore and see if any of their handbooks (Longman's; Little, Brown; St Martin's; Hougton Mifflin's Keys for Writers, etc.) for composition classes are on sale.

Question I've been having an amiable, ongoing argument with my literary critic for three years over the subjunctive case. We both agree that when the statement is contrary to known fact, the present tense should be used, as in "If it were raining out, I'd take my umbrella, but since it isn't, I won't." However, when no actual knowledge of the facts exists, we disagree on whether or not the subjunctive should still apply. Case in point: a character, sitting in a room with the curtains closed, might have his author write, "He glanced up from his book and wondered if it was raining out. If it was, he'd need more time to get to the airport." My critic insists that this is still subjunctive, and thus should be written, "He glanced up from his book and wondered if it were raining out. If it were, he'd need more time to get to the airport." This bothers me to the point that I will ditch the disputed sentences completely, in order to sidestep the issue, often settling for an inferior sentence in its place. I'd very much appreciate knowing who is right in this instance, since no grammar book I've looked at really specifies this type of situation. He'll believe Webster. And if I'm wrong, so will I . . . and will probably continue to sidestep such sentences entirely, since my ears can't seem to get used to it!
Thanks for your time
Source & Date
of Question Kaneohe, Hawaii
24 January 1998
Grammar's
Response This is how the New York Public Library's Writer's Guide to Style and Usage describes the choice: "The words if, as if, or as though do not always signal the subjunctive mood. If the information in such a clause ponts out a condition that is or was probable or likely, the verb should be in the indicative mood. The indicative tells the reader that the information in the dependent clause could possibly be true.
I think that describes the situation you've described. One other consideration might be that the subjunctive in fiction is going to come off sounding rather stuffy. I'd go with the was.

Question I'm a bit confused about punctuating subordinate clauses beginning with "who." For example: The witness described the attacker as a short, heavy man who was 40 years old. Should there be a comma before the "who"? As it is part of the description, I would consider it essential and remove the comma, but grammar books I consult seem not to be uniform about punctuating subordinate adjective clauses beginning with "who." What do you think?
Source & Date
of Question Blacksburg, Virginia
24 January 1998
Grammar's
Response Sometimes deciding what is "essential information" and what is "added information" can be a tough choice. If the information in the "who clause" is "added information" (i.e., you can remove it from the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence), then you want commas. If you change the essential meaning of the sentence by removing the subordinate clause, then you don't want commas. We need to know this man is in his 40s, that he's not a teenager, nor is he a dottering old gentleman. The description is a bit weird because we've practically given his birthdate, and we would probably say "in his 40s" or something like that, wouldn't we? Still, the description is essential, so we wouldn't use a comma here.

Question Please solve this long standing debate. We call our organization made up of married couples the Married Couples' Ministry. Is the apostrophe correctly placed in the title? Or should it be Married Couples Ministry?
Also, we have a annual retreat we call it the Married and Engaged Couples' Retreat. Is this correct?
Thanks for your help.
Source & Date
of Question Upper Marlboro, Maryland
25 January 1998
Grammar's
Response If you wish to show the possessive nature of those words, then the apostrophe is used correctly. According to the Chicago Manual of Style, however, those plural words could just as well be regarded as attributive nouns (a kind of adjective) and the apostrophe left out (as in Diners Club and Writers Conference). You want to avoid ambiguity, though. Is the ministry for the married couples or does it belong to the married couples (this is something that married couples do? provide a ministry?). The apostrophe clearly says it's the latter, but in this case, I think it's still pretty much up to you as long as you're consistent.
Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. 200.

Question How do you cite a quote within an in-text citation?? I have a passage that ends with someone speaking, and I'm confused if you are supposed to use a single quotation mark('), or the double quotation mark("). I'm having trouble with the whole MLA citation style basically.
Source & Date
of Question Lakehurst, New Jersey
15 January 1998
Grammar's
Response Please check out our college's Guide to Writing Research Papers, which is based on MLA-style documentation patterns. Unless the passage is a quote-within-a-quote, it will undoubtedly end with a double-quotation mark.

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Question	What is a "compound noun"? I always assumed it was a word like "firefly", but did not consider "John Brown" as a compund noun. Are two separate words such as a proper noun also a compound noun?
Source & Date of Question	Langley, B.C. Canada 23 January 1998
Grammar's Response	I would not regard proper nouns (such as John Brown) as compound words. Compound nouns have a tendency to change over time. Perhaps, originally, the firefly was a fire fly, and then it became a fire-fly, and then it became a firefly. There is often a question, in other words, about how to treat a compound noun, a question that frequently requires a visit to an authoritative dictionary (and even there you might find some disagreements, especially over time, about how to spell the word). However, I don't think anyone is going to write Mr. Brown's name as Johnbrown any time soon. The distinction between proper nouns (that may consist of more than one word) and compound words is, as you point out, a useful one.

Question	I need to know the origins and developments of the following words: Sophisticated hussy boycott calico nice I would really appreciate your response!
Source & Date of Question	Chicago, Illinois 23 January 1998
Grammar's Response	You don't want my help, you want the help of a good dictionary. The online Merriam Webster's gives us some etymological information, but not much. This is what I found for sophisticated, for example: Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin sophisticatus, past participle of sophisticare, from Latin sophisticus sophistic, from Greek sophistikos, from sophistEs sophist Date: 15th century If you're looking for more than that, you'll need a better dictionary, something like the Oxford Unabridged, and that might require a trip to your local library -- something to ask for next Christmas.

Question	Is there ever a time that it is proper to put an apostrophe in the word "its"? Not as a contraction of "it is" (i.e. it's), but as a plural of "it". As in, like if you're looking at an animal or reptile or something and you say: "Look at it. What is in it's mouth?" My boss and I always have a difference of opinion about the plural of "it". Is there such a thing?
Source & Date of Question	Doylestown, Pennsylvania 23 January 1998
Grammar's Response	Well, let's say you're talking about a sentence in which you've used the word it four times. You could say "There are four it's in that sentence." In the sentence you give us, though, you're looking for the possessive of it, which does not have an apostrophe. The plural of it is they -- unless you're talking not about the object but about the word itself, as in "There are four it's in that sentence." Notice, by the way, that the apostrophe and the "s" are not italicized, thus signifying that we have pluralized the word as word.

Question	When do you but commas around "as well as"? What is the correct term to describe the part of a sentence as well as is? Do you always enclose this in commas or only in specific instances or never? For instance: No one plays the violin as well as Sue. We can ship within the state, as well as, abroad. It's been awhile since I've been in school. It seems to me if you can use "and" instead of the "as well as" in the sentence you separate it with commas. Can't remember the grammar rule......Please help! Need answer by Sunday night..... Can you also give me some sort of reference of a good book about grammar to have on hand. Thank you.
Source & Date of Question	Warrenton, Virginia 24 January 1998
Grammar's Response	You probably will find situations in which you'll be using "as well as" and need to put a comma in front of it, just as you would put a comma in front of the conjunction and. But I can't think of any offhand. You certainly wouldn't want commas in the examples you give us. There are dozens of good grammar reference books; it all depends on what you want to spend. Elements of Style is an old, useable, not too expensive favorite. The Chicago Manual of Style probably has more than you need, but it does have everything. The New York Public Library _Writer's Guide to Style and Usage_ is eminently readable, but its index is weak. These last two will set you back $35 apiece. You might visit a nearby college bookstore and see if any of their handbooks (Longman's; Little, Brown; St Martin's; Hougton Mifflin's Keys for Writers, etc.) for composition classes are on sale.

Question	I've been having an amiable, ongoing argument with my literary critic for three years over the subjunctive case. We both agree that when the statement is contrary to known fact, the present tense should be used, as in "If it were raining out, I'd take my umbrella, but since it isn't, I won't." However, when no actual knowledge of the facts exists, we disagree on whether or not the subjunctive should still apply. Case in point: a character, sitting in a room with the curtains closed, might have his author write, "He glanced up from his book and wondered if it was raining out. If it was, he'd need more time to get to the airport." My critic insists that this is still subjunctive, and thus should be written, "He glanced up from his book and wondered if it were raining out. If it were, he'd need more time to get to the airport." This bothers me to the point that I will ditch the disputed sentences completely, in order to sidestep the issue, often settling for an inferior sentence in its place. I'd very much appreciate knowing who is right in this instance, since no grammar book I've looked at really specifies this type of situation. He'll believe Webster. And if I'm wrong, so will I . . . and will probably continue to sidestep such sentences entirely, since my ears can't seem to get used to it! Thanks for your time
Source & Date of Question	Kaneohe, Hawaii 24 January 1998
Grammar's Response	This is how the New York Public Library's Writer's Guide to Style and Usage describes the choice: "The words if, as if, or as though do not always signal the subjunctive mood. If the information in such a clause ponts out a condition that is or was probable or likely, the verb should be in the indicative mood. The indicative tells the reader that the information in the dependent clause could possibly be true. I think that describes the situation you've described. One other consideration might be that the subjunctive in fiction is going to come off sounding rather stuffy. I'd go with the was.

Question	Why is the pronoun I written with a capital letter?
Source & Date of Question	Bluffton, Ohio 23 January 1998
Grammar's Response	The short answer is that I don't know. I suspect that it's much more a matter for the history of typography than of grammar. That little letter i can get lost among its big brothers. A single-letter word is such an unusual thing that perhaps it needs to get capitalized so it won't get lost -- especially when it tends to get lost all the time, as I do? We take this capitalization so for granted that when the poet e.e. cummings played around with not capitalizing the personal pronoun back in the 30s, it was nearly a revolution.

Question	Could you please tell me when I have to use "this" and "that"?
Source & Date of Question	France 23 January 1998
Grammar's Response	The difference between these two demonstrative pronouns is usually a matter of how we refer to things. If I say "this" car is falling apart, I'm probably sitting in it or I'm standing right next to it, with my hands on it, perhaps. If I say "that" car is falling apart, I'm pointing to it on the highway or over there, in the driveway. Does that answer your question?

Question	I'm a bit confused about punctuating subordinate clauses beginning with "who." For example: The witness described the attacker as a short, heavy man who was 40 years old. Should there be a comma before the "who"? As it is part of the description, I would consider it essential and remove the comma, but grammar books I consult seem not to be uniform about punctuating subordinate adjective clauses beginning with "who." What do you think?
Source & Date of Question	Blacksburg, Virginia 24 January 1998
Grammar's Response	Sometimes deciding what is "essential information" and what is "added information" can be a tough choice. If the information in the "who clause" is "added information" (i.e., you can remove it from the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence), then you want commas. If you change the essential meaning of the sentence by removing the subordinate clause, then you don't want commas. We need to know this man is in his 40s, that he's not a teenager, nor is he a dottering old gentleman. The description is a bit weird because we've practically given his birthdate, and we would probably say "in his 40s" or something like that, wouldn't we? Still, the description is essential, so we wouldn't use a comma here.

Question	Please solve this long standing debate. We call our organization made up of married couples the Married Couples' Ministry. Is the apostrophe correctly placed in the title? Or should it be Married Couples Ministry? Also, we have a annual retreat we call it the Married and Engaged Couples' Retreat. Is this correct? Thanks for your help.
Source & Date of Question	Upper Marlboro, Maryland 25 January 1998
Grammar's Response	If you wish to show the possessive nature of those words, then the apostrophe is used correctly. According to the Chicago Manual of Style, however, those plural words could just as well be regarded as attributive nouns (a kind of adjective) and the apostrophe left out (as in Diners Club and Writers Conference). You want to avoid ambiguity, though. Is the ministry for the married couples or does it belong to the married couples (this is something that married couples do? provide a ministry?). The apostrophe clearly says it's the latter, but in this case, I think it's still pretty much up to you as long as you're consistent. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. 200.

Question	How do you cite a quote within an in-text citation?? I have a passage that ends with someone speaking, and I'm confused if you are supposed to use a single quotation mark('), or the double quotation mark("). I'm having trouble with the whole MLA citation style basically.
Source & Date of Question	Lakehurst, New Jersey 15 January 1998
Grammar's Response	Please check out our college's Guide to Writing Research Papers, which is based on MLA-style documentation patterns. Unless the passage is a quote-within-a-quote, it will undoubtedly end with a double-quotation mark.