The Grammar Logs -- Number Eighty-Seven

The
Grammar
Logs
# 87

Question What language is the following?
faeder ure,
pu pe eart on heofonum,
si pin nama gehalgod.
Source & Date
of Question West Midlands, England
17 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I could only guess. It look like an Old English (the language of Beowulf) version of the Lord's Prayer, but I wouldn't bet my chances on making it to heofonum on it. I'll post it here in case someone who reads this knows for sure.
John Bloodgood tells us that this is the beginning of the Lord's prayer in Anglo-Saxon Koine (before 1000). You can see the whole thing and even hear it spoken if you visit this site from Georgetown University:
http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/oe/paternoster-oe.html .

Question I have a research project about the Philippines. My teacher told us to write notecards, bibliography cards, and an outline. Can you please either tell or show me the formats and on how to do these.
Source & Date
of Question Piscataway, New Jersey
17 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I think most of your answers will be answered in the Guide to Writing Research Papers. If you have any specific questions, though, let us know.

Question Could you tell me the difference (nuance) of the following expressions?

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Are you going out with someone?
Do you have someone special?
Are you seeing anyone particular?
Are you dating anyone particular?
As for (b)-(e), are someone and anyone interchangable?
Source & Date
of Question Yokohama, Japan
17 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I think that for "d" and "e," we would say anyone in particular, but other than that, those sound like very familiar ways of saying the same thing (except that "c" sounds a bit peculiar), and, yes, "someone" and "anyone" would be interchangeable in those questions. If there are any nuances here, they're probably not worth thinking about.

Question [This question refers to Vol 2, Log 10, but the response there has been changed to reflect these comments.] In Vol.II, Log 10 you touch on the issue of punctuating a dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'because'. Specifically, you write, "When because connects two clauses, it also turns one of them into a dependent clause and, sometimes, that dependent clause will be connected with a comma (but sometimes no punctuation will be required).
Would you please expand on this statement. What is the rule governing when a dependent clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction requires a comma to set it off, and when does it not?
One other point of confusion I hope you can clear up is present in the sentence you wrote to answer the question. "...it also turns one of them into a dependent clause and,sometimes, that..."
Shouldn't that sentence be written as follows:".. it also turns one of them into a dependent clause, and sometimes, that..."
The rules I am alluding to in this revised construction are:1) When two independent clauses are joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and', and the subjects of the two clauses are different, then the two clauses should be separated by a comma placed before the 'and'; 2) If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction (i.e. The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance to escape).
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
18 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I have changed Vol2, #10 to reflect your suggestion. Thank you. When the "because clause" begins a sentence, we always set it off with a comma. When the "because clause" comes later in the sentence, it will nearly always prove to be essential to the sentence's meaning and there will be no comma separating it from the independent clause: "He eats so much because he suffers from a compulsive disorder." However, there may be occasions when the "because clause" is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and then we would set it off with a comma. "The bride has every detail of her big day planned exactly as she wanted it, because that's how she is."

Question I have never heard the term "absolute prase" before. My problem is that I am having difficulty identifying these phrases and differentiating them from less all-consuming phrases. In The Guide you define an absolute phrase as one which does not directly connect to or modify any specific word in the rest of the sentence; instead, it modifies the entire sentence, adding information. Could you give me greater direction than that? Are there some tests that one can perform to spot such a phrase?
For instance, in the cited example: "Their reputation as winners secured by victory, the New York Liberty charged into the semifinals," I am at a loss to see why this phrase modifies the entire sentence, and not the subject of the independent clause, "the New York Liberty."
I appreciate any assistance you could give me in this area, because I believe once I understand this, a major source of headaches will be cleared up for me.
Thank you.
Source & Date
of Question Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
18 March 1998
Grammar's
Response An absolute phrase will contain a noun (or pronoun), a participle that modifies that noun, and (usually) other modifiers. (Notice, though, that there is no real verb in an absolute phrase.) The absolute phrase of the given example not only tells you something about the subject of the sentence ("New York Liberty"), but also tells you when they did what they did and why. It modifies the entire independent clause, not just the first element in that clause. Here are two more examples:
The forest fires getting closer every day, the citizens of Redwood decided to evacuate.
Some people left valuables behind, their fear getting the best of them.
Some writers confuse absolute phrases with dangling participles, but the absolute phrase contains its own noun or pronoun subject, so it can't be accused of falsely modifying anything.
If this explanation cures your headaches, let me know.

Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997.

Question The problem I have with the following sentence is: If I use "they" for "unconvicted persons," is it still OK to use "them" for "unconvicted prisoners' own clothes and bedclothes"? If it is not OK, can I replace "them" with "such articles"?
Unlike convicted prisoners, unconvicted prisoners are required to pay for their own clothes and bedclothes. However, when they cannot pay for them, facilities where they are detained loan them.
Thank you for your assistance!
Source & Date
of Question Tama City, Tokyo, Japan
18 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Yes, we have so many "they"'s and "them"'s running around in those two sentences, that it's awfully easy to get confused. "Such articles" would help. And what if we changed the last clause to read something like the following: "officials at those facilities where unconvicted prisoners are detained will lend them such articles." or "unconvicted prisoners will be able to borrow such articles from prison officials." (Because it seems strange to say that a "facility" will do anything and, also, we need the verb "lend," not the noun "loan," in that sentence.)

Question Is this question in the right tense I will put the word that I am wondering about in parenthesis.
Carla pitched for the cricket team, and her mother (coaches) that team.

Source & Date
of Question California City, California
23 March 1998
Grammar's
Response It's not really a question, but, yes, you can put that verb in any tense you like. You've got two independent clauses here, so you really have no tense sequence problems as long as you're logical about matters. If you had a dependent clause, you'd have a problem. You can't say "Carla pitched for the cricket team as long as her mother coaches." Since the meaning of the subordinate clause depends on that of the main clause, the verb in the subordinate clause (coaches) should be in the same tense (past) as the independent clause (pitched).
Authority: The Little, Brown Handbook by H. Ramsay Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, & Kay Limburg. 6th ed. HarperCollins: New York. 1995. By permission of Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc.

Question I would like to have specific information about the use of 'for long' and 'for a long time' in negative sentences. Example:
I haven't been working for long but I am already tired.
I haven't worked for a long time and I am penniless.
Source & Date
of Question Unknown
18 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Let's simplify and just say
I haven't been working for long.
I haven't worked for a long time.
They mean altogether different things. The first sentence means that I started working a while ago, but not long ago; the second means that I've been sitting around on my butt for a long time, not doing a bit of work. I'd never noticed this before. I don't know if this answers your question, but I don't know what you mean by "specific information."

Question Which is right?

The categories are as follows...
The categories are as follow...
I think the first is right, but I want to be able to explain why, and can't find the answer in any style guides.
Thanks much!
Source & Date
of Question Seattle, Washington
19 March 1998
Grammar's
Response Good question! The expression "as follows" is singular because what follows it is a single list or explanation. So you might say "The categories are smigel, vonker, and bulp," but if you want to use the "as follows" idiom, you're really invoking the shortened version of "The categories are as [found in the explanation/list that] follows: smigel, vonker, and bulp."
Authority: Evelyn Farbman, Professor of English at Capital Community College and author of Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide.

Question Is there any subtle difference between the following two sentences? I wonder which one you would recommend me to use.

The number of complaints received from inmates is shown in Table 10.
The number of complaints received from inmates is as shown in Table 10.
Source & Date
of Question Tama City, Tokyo, Japan
19 March 1998
Grammar's
Response I don't know if I would characterize the difference as subtle. I'm just wondering why we would need that "as." What about "The number of prisoners' complaints is shown in Table 10."?

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Question	What language is the following? faeder ure, pu pe eart on heofonum, si pin nama gehalgod.
Source & Date of Question	West Midlands, England 17 March 1998
Grammar's Response	I could only guess. It look like an Old English (the language of Beowulf) version of the Lord's Prayer, but I wouldn't bet my chances on making it to heofonum on it. I'll post it here in case someone who reads this knows for sure. John Bloodgood tells us that this is the beginning of the Lord's prayer in Anglo-Saxon Koine (before 1000). You can see the whole thing and even hear it spoken if you visit this site from Georgetown University: http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/oe/paternoster-oe.html .

Question	Could you tell me the difference (nuance) of the following expressions? Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you going out with someone? Do you have someone special? Are you seeing anyone particular? Are you dating anyone particular? As for (b)-(e), are someone and anyone interchangable?
Source & Date of Question	Yokohama, Japan 17 March 1998
Grammar's Response	I think that for "d" and "e," we would say anyone in particular, but other than that, those sound like very familiar ways of saying the same thing (except that "c" sounds a bit peculiar), and, yes, "someone" and "anyone" would be interchangeable in those questions. If there are any nuances here, they're probably not worth thinking about.

Question	[This question refers to Vol 2, Log 10, but the response there has been changed to reflect these comments.] In Vol.II, Log 10 you touch on the issue of punctuating a dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'because'. Specifically, you write, "When because connects two clauses, it also turns one of them into a dependent clause and, sometimes, that dependent clause will be connected with a comma (but sometimes no punctuation will be required). Would you please expand on this statement. What is the rule governing when a dependent clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction requires a comma to set it off, and when does it not? One other point of confusion I hope you can clear up is present in the sentence you wrote to answer the question. "...it also turns one of them into a dependent clause and,sometimes, that..." Shouldn't that sentence be written as follows:".. it also turns one of them into a dependent clause, and sometimes, that..." The rules I am alluding to in this revised construction are:1) When two independent clauses are joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and', and the subjects of the two clauses are different, then the two clauses should be separated by a comma placed before the 'and'; 2) If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction (i.e. The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance to escape). Thank you.
Source & Date of Question	Sanur, Bali, Indonesia 18 March 1998
Grammar's Response	I have changed Vol2, #10 to reflect your suggestion. Thank you. When the "because clause" begins a sentence, we always set it off with a comma. When the "because clause" comes later in the sentence, it will nearly always prove to be essential to the sentence's meaning and there will be no comma separating it from the independent clause: "He eats so much because he suffers from a compulsive disorder." However, there may be occasions when the "because clause" is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and then we would set it off with a comma. "The bride has every detail of her big day planned exactly as she wanted it, because that's how she is."

Question	The problem I have with the following sentence is: If I use "they" for "unconvicted persons," is it still OK to use "them" for "unconvicted prisoners' own clothes and bedclothes"? If it is not OK, can I replace "them" with "such articles"? Unlike convicted prisoners, unconvicted prisoners are required to pay for their own clothes and bedclothes. However, when they cannot pay for them, facilities where they are detained loan them. Thank you for your assistance!
Source & Date of Question	Tama City, Tokyo, Japan 18 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Yes, we have so many "they"'s and "them"'s running around in those two sentences, that it's awfully easy to get confused. "Such articles" would help. And what if we changed the last clause to read something like the following: "officials at those facilities where unconvicted prisoners are detained will lend them such articles." or "unconvicted prisoners will be able to borrow such articles from prison officials." (Because it seems strange to say that a "facility" will do anything and, also, we need the verb "lend," not the noun "loan," in that sentence.)

Question	I would like to have specific information about the use of 'for long' and 'for a long time' in negative sentences. Example: I haven't been working for long but I am already tired. I haven't worked for a long time and I am penniless.
Source & Date of Question	Unknown 18 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Let's simplify and just say I haven't been working for long. I haven't worked for a long time. They mean altogether different things. The first sentence means that I started working a while ago, but not long ago; the second means that I've been sitting around on my butt for a long time, not doing a bit of work. I'd never noticed this before. I don't know if this answers your question, but I don't know what you mean by "specific information."

Question	I have a research project about the Philippines. My teacher told us to write notecards, bibliography cards, and an outline. Can you please either tell or show me the formats and on how to do these.
Source & Date of Question	Piscataway, New Jersey 17 March 1998
Grammar's Response	I think most of your answers will be answered in the Guide to Writing Research Papers. If you have any specific questions, though, let us know.

Question	Which is right? The categories are as follows... The categories are as follow... I think the first is right, but I want to be able to explain why, and can't find the answer in any style guides. Thanks much!
Source & Date of Question	Seattle, Washington 19 March 1998
Grammar's Response	Good question! The expression "as follows" is singular because what follows it is a single list or explanation. So you might say "The categories are smigel, vonker, and bulp," but if you want to use the "as follows" idiom, you're really invoking the shortened version of "The categories are as [found in the explanation/list that] follows: smigel, vonker, and bulp." Authority: Evelyn Farbman, Professor of English at Capital Community College and author of Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide.

Question	Is there any subtle difference between the following two sentences? I wonder which one you would recommend me to use. The number of complaints received from inmates is shown in Table 10. The number of complaints received from inmates is as shown in Table 10.
Source & Date of Question	Tama City, Tokyo, Japan 19 March 1998
Grammar's Response	I don't know if I would characterize the difference as subtle. I'm just wondering why we would need that "as." What about "The number of prisoners' complaints is shown in Table 10."?