The Grammar Logs -- Number Sixty-Eight

The
Grammar
Logs
# 68

Question Is the following sentence incorrect:
With consistent effort, he will be expected to perform in the manner that he is capable of.
Some say that you must not end the sentence in of? Is it a preposition? I know it should probably say "in the manner in which he is capable" but is the former example really wrong?
Source & Date
of Question Toronto, Canada
9 February 1998
Grammar's
Response That's a pretty clumsy sentence, and not just because you're ending a sentence with the preposition of. It's not "wrong," exactly, but there's not much right about it, either. Can we change that passive construction to something like, "We know/expect he will perform well if he tries hard"? Ending the sentence with a preposition is no longer regarded as the worst sin in writing (it's only one of the most obvious). But this sentence has other problems.

Question What's the difference between "go" and "come"?
* We're 10 miles from the theater. We're twenty minutes late. Don't you think that we should (go, come) anyway?

Source & Date
of Question Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
11 February 1998
Grammar's
Response It's a matter of perspective. If you live on the other side of town and you decide to visit me (and I'm at home), that means I think you are coming to my house. Your brother (who lives with you) thinks that you are going to my house. Does that help? You want to go to the theater (unless you're talking to someone who is at the theater already, and then you'd ask if you shouldn't come to the theater).

Question Hi, great site!
Question: As a writer, when I am opening a book with a proverb, idiom, quote, or so forth, is it italicized, enclosed in quotes, both, neither? Also, how is the source listed? Preceded with an em-dash?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Source & Date
of Question Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11 February 1998
Grammar's
Response An epigraph is usually set flush right, with no parentheses or brackets, but sometimes with a dash (it's up to you, as are the italics). Only the author's name (last name will suffice if it's someone like Shakespeare) and the name of the work need appear. Don't use any bibliographical information with it (page numbers, etc.) and no footnotes, etc. should be attached to it. (You can explain it in the preface, if that's really necessary.)
Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993.

Question Is this sentence gramatically correct?
There are three people you cannot choose: one is your parents, one is your siblings and one is yourself.

Source & Date
of Question Kingston, Ontario, Canada
11 February 1998
Grammar's
Response The short answer is yes, that sentence is grammatically correct. It seems to me, though, that some readers are going to argue that, in fact, you've named more than three people -- assuming you have more than one parent (which you do unless you're cloned) and a lot of us have more than one sibling. Aren't you better off just saying "You cannot choose your parents, your siblings, or -- finally -- yourself."?

Question Would you use a comma after one prepositional phrase? For example:
Within the year it won the Pulitzer Prize, a major honor. Would you need a comma after "within the year?"

Source & Date
of Question Andrews, South Carolina
11 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Most of the time you don't have to put a comma after an introductory prepositional phrase. You do so only when omitting the comma creates the possibility for confusion. It seems to me this is one of those cases. Without that comma after "year," your readers are going to read that sentence as if the prepositional phrase ends with "Prize," and they will be utterly baffled by its meaning. (They'll be able to figure it out, of course, but your readers shouldn't have to do that. Use the comma in this case.)

Question Please answer this question :
Mary's jokes made us "laugh" or "laughed" ?
The verb "made" is past tense, can I use "laughed" rather than "laugh" ? Thanks.
Source & Date
of Question Singapore
11 February 1998
Grammar's
Response What you have there is a truncated infinitive (the "to" is left out). It's as if you've said "Mary's jokes caused us to laugh." The past tense would be inappropriate.

Question Before asking my question, I would like to thank you for all your help :)
Is there such thing as "logic prepositions" ? If so, could you please give me some examples ?
Thank you again !
Source & Date
of Question Grado, Italy
12 February 1998
Grammar's
Response I have never heard of something called a "logic preposition," but I'm beginning to think that doesn't mean much. There are prepositions that one uses in the course of logical discourse, and maybe that's what is meant by it. For instance, in summing things up, we would say "in sum, in brief"; to point out an example, we would say, "for example"; to reformulate, we would say, "in other words"; to show contrast, we would say, "on the contrary, on the other hand, by comparison, by contrast." I'm guessing that these could be called "logic prepositions" or logical prepositional phrases, but you won't see me betting my reputation on it.

Question Are both sentences correct? If so, is one preferable? Thank you.

Mr. Jones asked that I attend the meeting.
Mr. Jones asked me to attend the meeting.

Source & Date
of Question Guilderland, New York
13 February 1998
Grammar's
Response Both sentences are correct. One uses the infinitive "to attend," and the other uses the subjunctive mood, which is appropriate after a suggestion or command. The infinitive is probably a bit more informal; some would say it sounds less stuffy.

Question The question concerns the word cannot. I've learned to spell this as one word, but I have noted it being spelled in two words "can not" in print magazines several times.
Is this spelling of the word ever correct?
Source & Date
of Question Aalborg, Denmark
13 February 1998
Grammar's
Response The word cannot can be spelled as two words if the writer is seriously emphasizing the "not" part of the construction. Normally, it would be spelled as one word, but I've never seen an explanation for that. In any case, I would not regard its being spelled as two words as a serious offense.

Question I am trying to teach eighth graders about using ellipses. I need one or two basic rules that they can understand. Nothing too technical. Any ideas?
Source & Date
of Question Northridge, California
13 February 1998
Grammar's
Response The only use of the ellipsis points that they would have to concern themselves with is when words are being left out of a quotation. I would have to leave up to you whether or not eighth-graders are capable of judging when that is a good idea or not. It takes some serious judgment to alter someone else's language -- when is that appropriate? when does one too greatly alter the meaning of quoted language? Then you have to know when to add the period at the end of a truncated thought before inserting the ellipsis. I suppose you might bring in some quotations from a news magazine or the newspaper and ask them to quote these paragraphs to support a specific point, using ellipsis points in the process to show where unwanted information (which you could highlight or not, depending on how sophisticated these eighth-graders are) has been left out.

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Question	Is the following sentence incorrect: With consistent effort, he will be expected to perform in the manner that he is capable of. Some say that you must not end the sentence in of? Is it a preposition? I know it should probably say "in the manner in which he is capable" but is the former example really wrong?
Source & Date of Question	Toronto, Canada 9 February 1998
Grammar's Response	That's a pretty clumsy sentence, and not just because you're ending a sentence with the preposition of. It's not "wrong," exactly, but there's not much right about it, either. Can we change that passive construction to something like, "We know/expect he will perform well if he tries hard"? Ending the sentence with a preposition is no longer regarded as the worst sin in writing (it's only one of the most obvious). But this sentence has other problems.

Question	What's the difference between "go" and "come"? * We're 10 miles from the theater. We're twenty minutes late. Don't you think that we should (go, come) anyway?
Source & Date of Question	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 11 February 1998
Grammar's Response	It's a matter of perspective. If you live on the other side of town and you decide to visit me (and I'm at home), that means I think you are coming to my house. Your brother (who lives with you) thinks that you are going to my house. Does that help? You want to go to the theater (unless you're talking to someone who is at the theater already, and then you'd ask if you shouldn't come to the theater).

Question	Hi, great site! Question: As a writer, when I am opening a book with a proverb, idiom, quote, or so forth, is it italicized, enclosed in quotes, both, neither? Also, how is the source listed? Preceded with an em-dash? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Source & Date of Question	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11 February 1998
Grammar's Response	An epigraph is usually set flush right, with no parentheses or brackets, but sometimes with a dash (it's up to you, as are the italics). Only the author's name (last name will suffice if it's someone like Shakespeare) and the name of the work need appear. Don't use any bibliographical information with it (page numbers, etc.) and no footnotes, etc. should be attached to it. (You can explain it in the preface, if that's really necessary.) Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993.

Question	Is this sentence gramatically correct? There are three people you cannot choose: one is your parents, one is your siblings and one is yourself.
Source & Date of Question	Kingston, Ontario, Canada 11 February 1998
Grammar's Response	The short answer is yes, that sentence is grammatically correct. It seems to me, though, that some readers are going to argue that, in fact, you've named more than three people -- assuming you have more than one parent (which you do unless you're cloned) and a lot of us have more than one sibling. Aren't you better off just saying "You cannot choose your parents, your siblings, or -- finally -- yourself."?

Question	Would you use a comma after one prepositional phrase? For example: Within the year it won the Pulitzer Prize, a major honor. Would you need a comma after "within the year?"
Source & Date of Question	Andrews, South Carolina 11 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Most of the time you don't have to put a comma after an introductory prepositional phrase. You do so only when omitting the comma creates the possibility for confusion. It seems to me this is one of those cases. Without that comma after "year," your readers are going to read that sentence as if the prepositional phrase ends with "Prize," and they will be utterly baffled by its meaning. (They'll be able to figure it out, of course, but your readers shouldn't have to do that. Use the comma in this case.)

Question	Please answer this question : Mary's jokes made us "laugh" or "laughed" ? The verb "made" is past tense, can I use "laughed" rather than "laugh" ? Thanks.
Source & Date of Question	Singapore 11 February 1998
Grammar's Response	What you have there is a truncated infinitive (the "to" is left out). It's as if you've said "Mary's jokes caused us to laugh." The past tense would be inappropriate.

Question	Before asking my question, I would like to thank you for all your help :) Is there such thing as "logic prepositions" ? If so, could you please give me some examples ? Thank you again !
Source & Date of Question	Grado, Italy 12 February 1998
Grammar's Response	I have never heard of something called a "logic preposition," but I'm beginning to think that doesn't mean much. There are prepositions that one uses in the course of logical discourse, and maybe that's what is meant by it. For instance, in summing things up, we would say "in sum, in brief"; to point out an example, we would say, "for example"; to reformulate, we would say, "in other words"; to show contrast, we would say, "on the contrary, on the other hand, by comparison, by contrast." I'm guessing that these could be called "logic prepositions" or logical prepositional phrases, but you won't see me betting my reputation on it.

Question	Are both sentences correct? If so, is one preferable? Thank you. Mr. Jones asked that I attend the meeting. Mr. Jones asked me to attend the meeting.
Source & Date of Question	Guilderland, New York 13 February 1998
Grammar's Response	Both sentences are correct. One uses the infinitive "to attend," and the other uses the subjunctive mood, which is appropriate after a suggestion or command. The infinitive is probably a bit more informal; some would say it sounds less stuffy.

Question	The question concerns the word cannot. I've learned to spell this as one word, but I have noted it being spelled in two words "can not" in print magazines several times. Is this spelling of the word ever correct?
Source & Date of Question	Aalborg, Denmark 13 February 1998
Grammar's Response	The word cannot can be spelled as two words if the writer is seriously emphasizing the "not" part of the construction. Normally, it would be spelled as one word, but I've never seen an explanation for that. In any case, I would not regard its being spelled as two words as a serious offense.

Question	I am trying to teach eighth graders about using ellipses. I need one or two basic rules that they can understand. Nothing too technical. Any ideas?
Source & Date of Question	Northridge, California 13 February 1998
Grammar's Response	The only use of the ellipsis points that they would have to concern themselves with is when words are being left out of a quotation. I would have to leave up to you whether or not eighth-graders are capable of judging when that is a good idea or not. It takes some serious judgment to alter someone else's language -- when is that appropriate? when does one too greatly alter the meaning of quoted language? Then you have to know when to add the period at the end of a truncated thought before inserting the ellipsis. I suppose you might bring in some quotations from a news magazine or the newspaper and ask them to quote these paragraphs to support a specific point, using ellipsis points in the process to show where unwanted information (which you could highlight or not, depending on how sophisticated these eighth-graders are) has been left out.