The Grammar Logs -- Number Sixty-Six

The
Grammar
Logs
# 66

Question Is it Washington, D.C. or Washington D.C.
Source & Date
of Question Euless, Texas
5 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Treat the District of Columbia as if it were a state (or other kind of political entity): "The citizens of Washington, D.C., have spoken."

Question I once heard that when using the word annual to describe an event you should only use it ("annual") in describing the third event held. For example, if a town decided to plan a carnival as an annual event they would call it "Town Carnival" for the first two years and then, in the third year, they would be able to call it "The 3rd Annual Town Carnival".
Have you ever heard of this rule, or any other, about using the word annual to describe an event?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Source & Date
of Question Erie, Pennsylvania
6 February 1998
Grammar's
Response I have heard this said about the first event, that you can't call it the First Annual Event, even in retrospect, because it can't possibly be an annual event until a year has passed. But why the third, not the second? That part I don't get. (Is it because it's only an annual event after the first annniversary has passed?) The more I think about this, the more I doubt if it's so much a grammatical rule, as some lawyer's mind at work. Sorry, but I can't find anything about this in my reference books.

Question Dear Grammar,
please help me to solve two little problems:

What's the difference, if there's any, between 'I must go' and 'I must be going'?
In the film 'Pretty woman' starring Julia Roberts, her friend Kit says:"He was on my case, I had to give him something." What does 'He was on my case' mean?
Thanks for your precious help.
Source & Date
of Question Palma Campania, Naples, Italy
6 February 1998
Grammar's
Response First question, there is virtually no difference. Second: I haven't seen the movie in a long time, so I don't remember the context, but that phrase usually means that a person "on my case" is pestering, bothering, harassing me. When you tell someone, "Get off my case!" you mean that person should stop bothering you, usually because that person has been persistently trying to persuade you to do something that you really didn't want to do. If your mother wanted you to take a new job and kept pleading with you to do it, but you didn't want to, you'd tell your mother to "get off your case." The phrase probably has some origin in detective work, but I wouldn't know that.

Question I NEED TO WRITE AN ANALOGY FOR MY ENGLISH COMP CLASS AND I AM HAVING A FEW PROBLEMS GETTING STARTED. MY QUESTION MAY NOT PERTAIN TO YOU, BUT YOU WERE THE CLOSEST I HAVE COME TO POSSIBLY GETTING AN ANSWER.
DO YOU KNOW OF ANY GOOD READING I CAN DO TO HELP ME WITH MY UNDERSTANDING OF WRITING AN ANALOGY. I AM HAVING DIFFICULTIES GETTING STARTED BECAUSE I AM JUST NOT CLEAR TO THE PROCESS. IF YOU CAN NOT HELP ME I WILL UNDERSTAND, BUT IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE THAT CAN IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
Source & Date
of Question Marion, Ohio
6 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Have you seen that ad on television in which the actress shows us what getting hooked on heroin is like? First she smashes an egg with a frying-pan to show what heroin would do to your brain (this is a take-off on an old anti-drug campaign), and then she proceeds to smash everything in the kitchen -- the lamp, the window, the furniture -- showing what it does to one's family, job, self-esteem, etc. Dramatic as it is (and so surprising, too), it's a pretty effective analogy.
What if you were to do something similar, comparing how (let's say) racial insults can wear away at one's sense of self-worth to the erosion of what? a rock? a fragile plant in loose soil?
I don't know any readings in this matter, although just about any decent composition textbook ought to have something about the uses of an extended metaphor in essay writing.

Question Hello ! For my english homework I was asked to give a name to each of the word classes that there are in english and explain the difference. One of them has the "noun", "verb", "adjective" and "adverb" in it. The other group has the "pronoun", "determiner", "preposition" and "conjunction". Could you please help me in finding the names or where I can find them . I have been looking in all my books, but do not seem to find it. Question 2: Is it possible for a noun to be a common and abstract noun at the same time ? Could you give me an example ?
I would appreciate any help you can give me !!!
Thank you so much.
Source & Date
of Question Grado, Italy
7 February 1998
Grammar's
Response I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're asking for here. Are you looking for examples of the parts of speech you've listed? nouns, pronouns, etc.? If so, you could find those in the various sections of the Guide, especially in the definitions sections. If you're looking for examples of all the sub-classes of these categories: In Pronouns, for instance, you'll find examples of demonstrative, personal, relative, reflexive, etc.
I recommend either Kolln's book or Quirk's book for the distinction between command and abstract nouns. I can't think of any words that would serve either way, but I don't think it's a terribly useful distinction anyway. Proper nouns, common nouns, count nouns, and non-count nouns are more useful categories.
Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993.
Authority: Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. 4rth Edition. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York. 1994.

Question First, let me thank you for your help. I am teaching our sisters from Poland how to speak and write English. Without your great site it would be so poor. My question regards the order in which lessons should be taught. One sister has a tremendous grasp of grammar, but in the Polish language they put words wherever they want because of a sophisticated conjugation and declension pattern. How can I get her to put things in order by using the materials you offer.
God bless your work--it is a great way to learn!
Source & Date
of Question Cresson, Pennsylvania
7 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Thank you for your note. I'm afraid the Guide may be useful for people coming to it with a specific question, but it's not adequate for the kind of program of learning you're looking for. I recommend you go to Dave's ESL Cafe and ask for recommendations for a good English as a Second Language text. There may be some textbooks that are better than others for students from eastern Europe (because of the special problems they bring to English learning). For instance, the series Grammar Dimensions is quite good, but I don't know, really, if it would be adequate for your specific needs.
Grammar Dimensions by Diane Larsen-Freeman, Series Director. Heinle & Heinle Publishers: Boston. 1997.

Question I would like to know the diffence in these sentences.

She cried in joy .
She cried with joy.
She cried for joy.
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Penang, Malaysia
7 February 1998
Grammar's
Response I have never heard the expression, "cried in joy." I don't think there's much difference between crying "for joy" and crying "with joy." "Crying for joy," I suppose means that one is so joyful that the emotion expresses itself in tears of happiness. "Crying with joy" means pretty much the same thing, perhaps with a hint that the person's intense emotions are accompanied by joy.

Question Thank you for your quick reply. I need to give a name to the 2 classes words are divided into. One group is formed by the noun, verb, adjective and adverb. The other group is formed by pronoun, determiner, preposition and conjunction. Each of these groups has a name. The reason I'm asking for help is because I can't find it anywhere. I hope this helps.
Thanks again !
Source & Date
of Question Grado, Italy
7 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Ah, now I get it. You're talking about the so-called form-classes and structure-classes of words. The difference is easy to see in the difference between nouns and prepositions. The number of nouns in the language seems to grow daily (and, thanks to teenagers, the same is true of adjectives). However, the number of prepositions today is probably the same as it was in Shakespeare's time (though they might mean something a little different). Form words are relatively easy to define, also. (Try to define a conjunction. Compared to defining the word table, there's no contest.) So, form words and structure words are the categories you're looking for, I think.
Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993.

Question Thank you for the answer to my last question. This question has to do with a prayer that we say each evening: In thanksgiving for our vocation (s) and asking for good and needed vocations to our community (should vocation be singular or plural?)
The second question is also about an introduction to a prayer: "For the sister most in need" or should we say: "for the sister in most need"
Source & Date
of Question Cresson, Pennsylvania
7 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Perhaps the matter of pluralizing vocation depends on who's doing the praying. Is this a corporate prayer, where a group of people are praying for these things (plural) which have been given? Then I would think you could use the plural, as each vocation granted is different (I would think). However, can an individual have more than one vocation? I don't think so, at least not at the same time, but I'm really on shaky theological ground here!
The "in need" question is interesting. If you mean the sister who has gone deepest into that condition we could call needful, then I think you want the first alternative; if you mean the sister who is neediest at the moment, I think you want the second. If you substitute "deepest" for "most," you can say "the sister deepest in need," and your meaning will be clear. "The sister in deepest need," however, means that, for the time being anyway, this sister needs the most help. I could be wrong about this temporal distinction, but it's making sense to me now.

Question I have seen the word "controllor" in some finance textbooks. But when I check up this word in the Oxford Dictionary, it is spelt "controller" with no other alternative spelling stated. Please enlighten. Thanks.
Source & Date
of Question Singapore
8 February 1998
Grammar's
Response I thought at first it might be one of those British versus American spelling differences, but every dictionary I look at spells it controller, with no variations at all. Same is true of comptroller. This is true of my unabridged Webster's, which is quite ancient, so it's not a spelling that's been dropped recently, either. The only enlightenment I can offer is either that they misspelled it or it's a spelling so peculiar to people in the world of finances that no one else has heard of it.

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

Question	I once heard that when using the word annual to describe an event you should only use it ("annual") in describing the third event held. For example, if a town decided to plan a carnival as an annual event they would call it "Town Carnival" for the first two years and then, in the third year, they would be able to call it "The 3rd Annual Town Carnival". Have you ever heard of this rule, or any other, about using the word annual to describe an event? Thank you in advance for your help!
Source & Date of Question	Erie, Pennsylvania 6 February 1998
Grammar's Response	I have heard this said about the first event, that you can't call it the First Annual Event, even in retrospect, because it can't possibly be an annual event until a year has passed. But why the third, not the second? That part I don't get. (Is it because it's only an annual event after the first annniversary has passed?) The more I think about this, the more I doubt if it's so much a grammatical rule, as some lawyer's mind at work. Sorry, but I can't find anything about this in my reference books.

Question	Dear Grammar, please help me to solve two little problems: What's the difference, if there's any, between 'I must go' and 'I must be going'? In the film 'Pretty woman' starring Julia Roberts, her friend Kit says:"He was on my case, I had to give him something." What does 'He was on my case' mean? Thanks for your precious help.
Source & Date of Question	Palma Campania, Naples, Italy 6 February 1998
Grammar's Response	First question, there is virtually no difference. Second: I haven't seen the movie in a long time, so I don't remember the context, but that phrase usually means that a person "on my case" is pestering, bothering, harassing me. When you tell someone, "Get off my case!" you mean that person should stop bothering you, usually because that person has been persistently trying to persuade you to do something that you really didn't want to do. If your mother wanted you to take a new job and kept pleading with you to do it, but you didn't want to, you'd tell your mother to "get off your case." The phrase probably has some origin in detective work, but I wouldn't know that.

Question	I NEED TO WRITE AN ANALOGY FOR MY ENGLISH COMP CLASS AND I AM HAVING A FEW PROBLEMS GETTING STARTED. MY QUESTION MAY NOT PERTAIN TO YOU, BUT YOU WERE THE CLOSEST I HAVE COME TO POSSIBLY GETTING AN ANSWER. DO YOU KNOW OF ANY GOOD READING I CAN DO TO HELP ME WITH MY UNDERSTANDING OF WRITING AN ANALOGY. I AM HAVING DIFFICULTIES GETTING STARTED BECAUSE I AM JUST NOT CLEAR TO THE PROCESS. IF YOU CAN NOT HELP ME I WILL UNDERSTAND, BUT IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE THAT CAN IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
Source & Date of Question	Marion, Ohio 6 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Have you seen that ad on television in which the actress shows us what getting hooked on heroin is like? First she smashes an egg with a frying-pan to show what heroin would do to your brain (this is a take-off on an old anti-drug campaign), and then she proceeds to smash everything in the kitchen -- the lamp, the window, the furniture -- showing what it does to one's family, job, self-esteem, etc. Dramatic as it is (and so surprising, too), it's a pretty effective analogy. What if you were to do something similar, comparing how (let's say) racial insults can wear away at one's sense of self-worth to the erosion of what? a rock? a fragile plant in loose soil? I don't know any readings in this matter, although just about any decent composition textbook ought to have something about the uses of an extended metaphor in essay writing.

Question	Hello ! For my english homework I was asked to give a name to each of the word classes that there are in english and explain the difference. One of them has the "noun", "verb", "adjective" and "adverb" in it. The other group has the "pronoun", "determiner", "preposition" and "conjunction". Could you please help me in finding the names or where I can find them . I have been looking in all my books, but do not seem to find it. Question 2: Is it possible for a noun to be a common and abstract noun at the same time ? Could you give me an example ? I would appreciate any help you can give me !!! Thank you so much.
Source & Date of Question	Grado, Italy 7 February 1998
Grammar's Response	I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're asking for here. Are you looking for examples of the parts of speech you've listed? nouns, pronouns, etc.? If so, you could find those in the various sections of the Guide, especially in the definitions sections. If you're looking for examples of all the sub-classes of these categories: In Pronouns, for instance, you'll find examples of demonstrative, personal, relative, reflexive, etc. I recommend either Kolln's book or Quirk's book for the distinction between command and abstract nouns. I can't think of any words that would serve either way, but I don't think it's a terribly useful distinction anyway. Proper nouns, common nouns, count nouns, and non-count nouns are more useful categories. Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Authority: Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. 4rth Edition. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York. 1994.

Question	First, let me thank you for your help. I am teaching our sisters from Poland how to speak and write English. Without your great site it would be so poor. My question regards the order in which lessons should be taught. One sister has a tremendous grasp of grammar, but in the Polish language they put words wherever they want because of a sophisticated conjugation and declension pattern. How can I get her to put things in order by using the materials you offer. God bless your work--it is a great way to learn!
Source & Date of Question	Cresson, Pennsylvania 7 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Thank you for your note. I'm afraid the Guide may be useful for people coming to it with a specific question, but it's not adequate for the kind of program of learning you're looking for. I recommend you go to Dave's ESL Cafe and ask for recommendations for a good English as a Second Language text. There may be some textbooks that are better than others for students from eastern Europe (because of the special problems they bring to English learning). For instance, the series Grammar Dimensions is quite good, but I don't know, really, if it would be adequate for your specific needs. Grammar Dimensions by Diane Larsen-Freeman, Series Director. Heinle & Heinle Publishers: Boston. 1997.

Question	Is it Washington, D.C. or Washington D.C.
Source & Date of Question	Euless, Texas 5 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Treat the District of Columbia as if it were a state (or other kind of political entity): "The citizens of Washington, D.C., have spoken."

Question	I would like to know the diffence in these sentences. She cried in joy . She cried with joy. She cried for joy. Thank you.
Source & Date of Question	Penang, Malaysia 7 February 1998
Grammar's Response	I have never heard the expression, "cried in joy." I don't think there's much difference between crying "for joy" and crying "with joy." "Crying for joy," I suppose means that one is so joyful that the emotion expresses itself in tears of happiness. "Crying with joy" means pretty much the same thing, perhaps with a hint that the person's intense emotions are accompanied by joy.

Question	Thank you for your quick reply. I need to give a name to the 2 classes words are divided into. One group is formed by the noun, verb, adjective and adverb. The other group is formed by pronoun, determiner, preposition and conjunction. Each of these groups has a name. The reason I'm asking for help is because I can't find it anywhere. I hope this helps. Thanks again !
Source & Date of Question	Grado, Italy 7 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Ah, now I get it. You're talking about the so-called form-classes and structure-classes of words. The difference is easy to see in the difference between nouns and prepositions. The number of nouns in the language seems to grow daily (and, thanks to teenagers, the same is true of adjectives). However, the number of prepositions today is probably the same as it was in Shakespeare's time (though they might mean something a little different). Form words are relatively easy to define, also. (Try to define a conjunction. Compared to defining the word table, there's no contest.) So, form words and structure words are the categories you're looking for, I think. Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993.

Question	Thank you for the answer to my last question. This question has to do with a prayer that we say each evening: In thanksgiving for our vocation (s) and asking for good and needed vocations to our community (should vocation be singular or plural?) The second question is also about an introduction to a prayer: "For the sister most in need" or should we say: "for the sister in most need"
Source & Date of Question	Cresson, Pennsylvania 7 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Perhaps the matter of pluralizing vocation depends on who's doing the praying. Is this a corporate prayer, where a group of people are praying for these things (plural) which have been given? Then I would think you could use the plural, as each vocation granted is different (I would think). However, can an individual have more than one vocation? I don't think so, at least not at the same time, but I'm really on shaky theological ground here! The "in need" question is interesting. If you mean the sister who has gone deepest into that condition we could call needful, then I think you want the first alternative; if you mean the sister who is neediest at the moment, I think you want the second. If you substitute "deepest" for "most," you can say "the sister deepest in need," and your meaning will be clear. "The sister in deepest need," however, means that, for the time being anyway, this sister needs the most help. I could be wrong about this temporal distinction, but it's making sense to me now.

Question	I have seen the word "controllor" in some finance textbooks. But when I check up this word in the Oxford Dictionary, it is spelt "controller" with no other alternative spelling stated. Please enlighten. Thanks.
Source & Date of Question	Singapore 8 February 1998
Grammar's Response	I thought at first it might be one of those British versus American spelling differences, but every dictionary I look at spells it controller, with no variations at all. Same is true of comptroller. This is true of my unabridged Webster's, which is quite ancient, so it's not a spelling that's been dropped recently, either. The only enlightenment I can offer is either that they misspelled it or it's a spelling so peculiar to people in the world of finances that no one else has heard of it.