| QUESTION |
When using a comma, do you have to have a and, or, but, for... like this
- I like cats, but...
or can you do - .....she has black hair, she...
Please respond.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Gliroy, California  Monday, June 29, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I suggest you review the Rules for Comma Usage. If you're using those conjunctions for connecting two independent clauses, it's usually a good idea to combine them with a comma. You don't want to connect two independent clauses with a comma all by itself.
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| QUESTION |
I would like to know if the following sentence is grammatically correct.
The life of an epicure, complete with an Italian sonata and the passion of Dante.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Salem, Massachusetts Tue, Sep 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's a lovely bit of phrasing, but it's not really a sentence; it's a sentence fragment because there is no subject-verb relationship there. As far as it goes, however, the punctuation is fine. All we need is something like "She lived the life of. . . ." The two things we use for purposes of comparison could be a bit more parallel -- "replete with the passion of Dante and the luxuriance of ________ (you fill in the name of an artist)."
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| QUESTION |
My English class wants me to correct this sentence
Looking at several search engines, they seem to be complicated to use.
Would,"After looking at several search engines, they seem to be complicated to use." be correct? The error has to do with the verb "looking" and the subject "they"
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Morgantown, West Virginia  Tue, Sep 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Didn't I just answer this a week or so ago? That rewrite is an improvement, but the beginning modifying phrase still cannot clearly the subject that follows. (In other words, you're right: the participle "looking" cannot modify the subject "they.") Try this instead:
After looking at several search engines, we decided they were awfully complicated.
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| QUESTION |
| Where does the origin of good-bye come from? And which is more
acceptable? Two of my sons learned good-bye, as I did as a child.
However my third son is learning good-by. Their reading books"A New Day" spells good-by, but "A New Day" Practice Skills book spells it good-bye, same publisher and printer. I am confused, I have never seen good-bye
spelled that way. Is it slang? Old English? How can I have three children who spell good-bye differently.
Confused and Outdated
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Mexico City, Mexico Tue, Sep 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The online Merriam-Webster's says that good-by is an acceptable variant spelling of good-bye, which comes from the expression "God be with ye." (It's my understand that the "God" was turned to "good" during those centuries when it was regarded as profane or inappropriate to utter God's name in public or, especially, on the stage.) You would think, though, that a publisher could be consistent within their works.
Authority for this note: WWWebster Dictionary, the World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Used with permission.
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| QUESTION |
| I don't know what's the difference among "which", "of which", and "in which." Can you illustrate them with some examples?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hong Kong Tue, Sep 22, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
I hesitate to do so because such sentences are often clumsy, but here are three examples:
- The college, which was founded in 1866, is one of the premier colleges in the country.
- The English Department, in which I have worked for thirty years, is known for its scholarship.
- The accomplishment of which I am most proud is my Ph.D. in molecular biology.
(That last one would surely be written "The accomplishment I am most proud of is my. . .." by most writers.)
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