The
Grammar
Logs
# 201

QUESTION
the difference between
  1. I`ve not
  2. I havn`t
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Thursday, September 10, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I haven't (note spelling) is the preferred contraction for "I have not," but "I've not" is possible. "I've not" would stress the negative "not" somewhat more than the alternative, but I'd certainly avoid it in formal prose.

QUESTION
When to use " subject to" or "subjected to"? The following two examples are excerpted from a dictionary:
  1. A directive that could be subject to misinterpretation. ( *subject to* used as an adjective )
  2. 2.The patients on that ward are subjected to infection. ( *subject to* used as a verb, transitive )
In both cases , "subject to" and "subjected to" are used after variant forms of the verb "to be"; now why is that "subject to" is classified as an adjective in the first example--hence, the "ed" is dropped, whereas it's classified as an verb in the second--the "ed" is retained? Aren't the two examples very much alike as far as sentence construction goes? What is happening here?

Thanks in advance!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Canada Thursday, September 10, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I believe that "subject to" is probably better in both those sentences with "subject" (the adjective, as you point out) suggesting that something suffers a particular liability or exposure or has a tendency or inclination (is prone to) something else. If we must endure constant verbal abuse, we are subjected to it. The dictionary you cite must have felt that the patients were put in a position of having to endure infections and thus subjected was appropriate. I much prefer what the online Merriam-Webster's has to say about these words.

Authority for this note: WWWebster Dictionary, the World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Used with permission.


QUESTION
In the sentence: Will you read the novel Time Warp, or will you read the magazine article "Scientific Mysteries" over the weekend?

Would you put a comma after novel and magazine article or not?

Also in the sentence: I will lie down for a while and then go watch the movie Ghandi.

Would you put a comma after movie?

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
No, none of those titles are parenthetical elements in those sentences -- no commas (except for the one before "or," which is there for another reason, as you obviously know).

QUESTION
What is the appropriate use of commas when you are listing a person (i.e. mom) and their proper name (i.e. Kelly)?

Example:
She lives with her mom, Kelly, her dad, David, and her brother, Nick.

Where Kelly is the mom, David is the dad and Nick is the brother.

Thank you!
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Raleigh, North Carolina Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You could probably get away with that, although it's awfully confusing. You can use semicolons to help sort things out: "She lives with her mom, Kelly; her dad, David; and her brother, Nick." But since she probably has only one Mom and one Dad, those names are not necessarily parenthetical, so you could write it this way: "She lives with her mom Kelly, her dad David, and her brother, Nick. (The last comma is necessary only if she has more than one brother.) Personally, I prefer the solution with the semicolons; I find "her mom Kelly" kind of hard to read.

QUESTION
Trying to identify:
  1. "simple subject"
  2. "simple predicate"
In this sentence:
Connie's attention wandered during his speech.
I say the simple subject is "attention" and the simple predicate is "wandered." My Dad says the simple subject is "Connie" and the simple predicate is "wandered."

What's the answer? thanks

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Indiana Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Connie's is a possessive noun modifying the real subject of the sentence, "attention." You're one up on Dad.

QUESTION
I have always wanted to know the answer to following question:
What is the differrence (if any) and correct grammatical usage of the words may be and maybe?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Denver, Colorado Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Oh, yes, there's a difference. "May be" is a verb: "You may be right about this." "Maybe" is an adverb: "Maybe you're right about this"; it modifies the verb "are," saying under what conditions you are right -- maybe. These should go in the Notorious Confusables, shouldn't they?

QUESTION
What is the difference in meaning and use of the form "be going to" and "will" as in the following sentence. The weather will rain tomorrow...The weather is going to rain tomorrow.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Auckland, New Zealand Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
We wouldn't say, "the weather is going to do anything." Well, we wouldn't in the United States, anyway; it may be a way of saying things in New Zealand, and I should never say never! We might say, "It will rain tomorrow," and we might say, "It is going to rain tomorrow," and there would be virtually no difference between those two sentences.

QUESTION
Is the following sentence right or wrong?
Enclosed please find 2 pages of information on which I hereby certify the amendments true and correct.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Hong Kong Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It's acceptable. Something like this might be better: "I certify as true and correct all amendments on the enclosed two pages of information."

QUESTION
If it is my intention to indicate that it was I, myself and not someone else who did something, is the following sentence justified?: "I, went to the store."
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Brooklyn, New York Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
No. You can write, "I myself went to the store" or "I went to the store myself," but that comma after the subject, all by itself, is just asking for trouble.

QUESTION
When do you capitalize the title president as in USA?
The president left Washington--our president---
When president directly relates to the office and person is it capitalized?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
San Antonio, Texas Friday, September 11, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Most of the reference manuals I consult recommend capitalizing President when referring to the President of the United States. Otherwise, you don't capitalize the word unless it's immediately preceding the person's name (almost as if it were part of the person's name), "We invited President Gorbachev to lunch," but in journalism (newspapers), even that wouldn't be capitalized.

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