The Grammar Logs -- Number Eighty-Three

The
Grammar
Logs
# 83

Question What is the different between 'which' and 'that' when they are used in a relative clause?
Example:
Please advise which word should be used in the following sentence.
I like the bicycle (which/that) was given by my mother.

Source & Date
of Question Hong Kong
10 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I think we would say
I like the bicycle that was given to me by my mother.
But some writers would use "which" in that sentence. Try going to the little write-up in the Notorious Confusables about that and which and click on Quinion's article.
Another writer suggests that we eliminate the clause business altogether and write "I like the bicycle given me by my mother." Or we could write "I like the bicycle my mother gave me." Simpler is better.

Question A question of punctuation if you will. Is it proper to enclose a parenthetical phrase within a parenthetical sentence? e.g. (The only way he could see (if he could see at all) was to squint through the haze.)
Source & Date
of Question Bohemia, New York
10 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Assuming that such a sentence can be parenthetical (and I suppose it can, in the proper context), and assuming that you've decided that the information you wish to insert is too parenthetical, even, to warrant the use of commas to set it apart, then you can, indeed, insert parenthetical information within parenthetical elements. Most writers, however, would prefer to use [ brackets ] as the "interior" parentheses.

Question Is it correct to use which and although together in a sentence? If so, how would you punctutate such a phrase? For example: He lives in Lake Tapawingo which although not within Blue Springs is almost entirely surrounded by it.
Source & Date
of Question Englewood, Colorado
10 March 1998
Grammar's
Response It is possible, but perhaps not in the sentence you give us. The problem with that sentence is that Blue Springs is treated as a parenthetical element and then the "it" that ends the sentence refers to Blue Springs (which it ought not to do, since it was named in the parenthetical clause, not the main clause).
I'll try another example: He lives in Lake Tapawingo, which, although its citizens voted for a Republic representative last year, has historically been a Democratic stronghold.
The sentence would probably be better if we said, "He lives in Lake Tapawingo, which has historically been a Democratic stronghold even though its citizens. . . .
Incidentally, I would put a comma before that "which."

Question In a research paper, using MLA Style of documentation, what is the rule for using a title requiring quotation marks in a quote within a quote? The quote consists of fewer than five lines.
Source & Date
of Question West Melbourne, Florida
11 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I don't see this in the MLA Handbook, which surprises me. Elsewhere, I know, the rule is to include this title in double quotation marks. So you'd have something like the following: According to Untermeyer, "Robert Frost once asked, 'Is there a more popular poem than "Birches"?'" (That's not a very good sentence, but you get the idea, I'm sure.) Be careful to "back out" of the quotations as carefully as you get into it!
Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993.

Question What is the verb for this sentence?

Fifty-two percent of the dogs were running around.
Fifty-two percent of the dogs was running around.
Fifty-two percent was running around.
Fifty-two percent were running around.

Source & Date
of Question West Palm Beach, Florida
11 March 1998
Grammar's
Response "Percent" or "percentage" will be plural when you're talking about something countable. Since the dogs are countable, we'd write "Fifty-two percent of the dogs were running around." And since we're talking about something countable (whether or not they're in the sentence), we'd also write "Fifty-two percent were running around." If we were talking about something that was not countable, if we said, for instance, "Fifty-two percent of the student body," we'd choose a singular verb.

Question Is it correct to use PEOPLE IS in a sentence or do we always use PEOPLE ARE?
Source & Date
of Question Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
11 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Almost always, the word "people" is plural and we would use the plural verb: "The people are angry. The people have spoken." There is a sense, however, in which it can be singular, as in "This peace-loving people has migrated across the desert." That's a rare usage, indeed.

Question Can you please explain the subject verb agreement of the following sentence:
"Children are prevented from eating pancakes which cause/causes bowl irritation."
In my opinion the verb should be "causes" since subject is eating/eating of pancakes (gerund) which causes bowl irritation, not pancakes.
Source & Date
of Question United Arab Emirates
12 March 1998
Grammar's
Response The actual subject of cause/causes is "which," the relative pronoun. Now whether "which" refers to pancakes or eating pancakes is another matter, and that's a problem with the sentence. A comma before "which" would be helpful (in fact, it's unusual to use a restrictive clause [the "which" clause] without the comma); in "Children are prevented from eating pancakes, which cause bowel irritation" the "which" more clearly refers to "pancakes." If we said, instead, "Children are prevented from eating pancakes that cause bowel irritation," the meaning is also clear and the "that" would refer to "pancakes." If we said, "Children are prevented from eating pancakes, a diet that causes bowel irritation," the ambiguity is gone -- "a diet" being an appositive for "eating pancakes," I think. Or we could say "a food that causes bowel irritation," and then we'd have an appositive for pancakes. The fact is -- I'm afraid I disagree with you -- it's the pancakes, not the eating of them, that causes the problem, and you want to build your sentence so that's clear.
Well, this was a nasty note to write before breakfast! (Also, watch that spelling of bowel; it's not bowl.)

Question I remember vaguely about having read a rule which said that use of double negatives in a sentence was incorrect English. I don't remember the example that was used, but I think it was something like
"I cannot not do this."
Could you please clear my doubt?
Thank you very much.
Source & Date
of Question Beaverton, Oregon
12 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Our small section on Double Negatives might help.
The example you give seems to be one of the "good" double negatives; it actually works, doesn't it? "You cannot not do it" means that you must do it, you have no choice. It's not a double negative, though, in the same sense as "I can't get no satisfaction" (or a hundred others you could find in popular songs) where the double negative is, in fact, an intensification (not an algebraic reversal) of the negative effect. In formal writing, you'd be wise to avoid double negatives.

Question What is the correct punctuation when you use i.e. or e.g. -- do you use parentheses? Is i.e., blah, blah? Are there periods after both i and e?
Do you know the deriatives of i.e. and e.g.?
Thank you for your assistance.
Source & Date
of Question Washington, D.C.
12 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Visit the page on Abbreviations. There's a little highlighted box there (right in the middle of that page) on the uses of i.e. and e.g. that should answer your questions. If it doesn't, please let me know.

Question Please help me settle this disagreement once and for all. In the following sentence (used in formal business writing) is it correct to say:
"I would appreciate YOUR taking the time to respond to the following questions." Or, "I would appreciate YOU taking the time....
I would indeed appreciate any light you could shed on this matter!
Source & Date
of Question Toronto, Ontario, Canada
12 March 1998
Grammar's
Response You have to ask yourself what you appreciate. In this case, you appreciate the TAKING OF TIME. Nearly always, in formal prose anyway, the noun or pronoun that precedes this word is going to be in the possessive form. "I appreciate your taking the time to respond to. . . . " You can find further advice in this matter in our section on Gerunds.

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

Question	What is the verb for this sentence? Fifty-two percent of the dogs were running around. Fifty-two percent of the dogs was running around. Fifty-two percent was running around. Fifty-two percent were running around.
Source & Date of Question	West Palm Beach, Florida 11 March 1998
Grammar's Response	"Percent" or "percentage" will be plural when you're talking about something countable. Since the dogs are countable, we'd write "Fifty-two percent of the dogs were running around." And since we're talking about something countable (whether or not they're in the sentence), we'd also write "Fifty-two percent were running around." If we were talking about something that was not countable, if we said, for instance, "Fifty-two percent of the student body," we'd choose a singular verb.

Question	Can you please explain the subject verb agreement of the following sentence: "Children are prevented from eating pancakes which cause/causes bowl irritation." In my opinion the verb should be "causes" since subject is eating/eating of pancakes (gerund) which causes bowl irritation, not pancakes.
Source & Date of Question	United Arab Emirates 12 March 1998
Grammar's Response	The actual subject of cause/causes is "which," the relative pronoun. Now whether "which" refers to pancakes or eating pancakes is another matter, and that's a problem with the sentence. A comma before "which" would be helpful (in fact, it's unusual to use a restrictive clause [the "which" clause] without the comma); in "Children are prevented from eating pancakes, which cause bowel irritation" the "which" more clearly refers to "pancakes." If we said, instead, "Children are prevented from eating pancakes that cause bowel irritation," the meaning is also clear and the "that" would refer to "pancakes." If we said, "Children are prevented from eating pancakes, a diet that causes bowel irritation," the ambiguity is gone -- "a diet" being an appositive for "eating pancakes," I think. Or we could say "a food that causes bowel irritation," and then we'd have an appositive for pancakes. The fact is -- I'm afraid I disagree with you -- it's the pancakes, not the eating of them, that causes the problem, and you want to build your sentence so that's clear. Well, this was a nasty note to write before breakfast! (Also, watch that spelling of bowel; it's not bowl.)

Question	I remember vaguely about having read a rule which said that use of double negatives in a sentence was incorrect English. I don't remember the example that was used, but I think it was something like "I cannot not do this." Could you please clear my doubt? Thank you very much.
Source & Date of Question	Beaverton, Oregon 12 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Our small section on Double Negatives might help. The example you give seems to be one of the "good" double negatives; it actually works, doesn't it? "You cannot not do it" means that you must do it, you have no choice. It's not a double negative, though, in the same sense as "I can't get no satisfaction" (or a hundred others you could find in popular songs) where the double negative is, in fact, an intensification (not an algebraic reversal) of the negative effect. In formal writing, you'd be wise to avoid double negatives.

Question	What is the correct punctuation when you use i.e. or e.g. -- do you use parentheses? Is i.e., blah, blah? Are there periods after both i and e? Do you know the deriatives of i.e. and e.g.? Thank you for your assistance.
Source & Date of Question	Washington, D.C. 12 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Visit the page on Abbreviations. There's a little highlighted box there (right in the middle of that page) on the uses of i.e. and e.g. that should answer your questions. If it doesn't, please let me know.

Question	Please help me settle this disagreement once and for all. In the following sentence (used in formal business writing) is it correct to say: "I would appreciate YOUR taking the time to respond to the following questions." Or, "I would appreciate YOU taking the time.... I would indeed appreciate any light you could shed on this matter!
Source & Date of Question	Toronto, Ontario, Canada 12 March 1998
Grammar's Response	You have to ask yourself what you appreciate. In this case, you appreciate the TAKING OF TIME. Nearly always, in formal prose anyway, the noun or pronoun that precedes this word is going to be in the possessive form. "I appreciate your taking the time to respond to. . . . " You can find further advice in this matter in our section on Gerunds.

Question	A question of punctuation if you will. Is it proper to enclose a parenthetical phrase within a parenthetical sentence? e.g. (The only way he could see (if he could see at all) was to squint through the haze.)
Source & Date of Question	Bohemia, New York 10 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Assuming that such a sentence can be parenthetical (and I suppose it can, in the proper context), and assuming that you've decided that the information you wish to insert is too parenthetical, even, to warrant the use of commas to set it apart, then you can, indeed, insert parenthetical information within parenthetical elements. Most writers, however, would prefer to use [ brackets ] as the "interior" parentheses.

Question	Is it correct to use PEOPLE IS in a sentence or do we always use PEOPLE ARE?
Source & Date of Question	Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico 11 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Almost always, the word "people" is plural and we would use the plural verb: "The people are angry. The people have spoken." There is a sense, however, in which it can be singular, as in "This peace-loving people has migrated across the desert." That's a rare usage, indeed.