QUESTION |
When should the word "earth" be capitalized?
Should the word "pope" be capitalized when it stands alone without a
proper name. A book I was reading called "Elements of Grammar" said
it should be. Thanks for your time!
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Slinger, Wisconsin Wed, Sep 23, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
You could capitalize Earth when you're thinking of it as the title of the planet -- for instance, in a list of planets, you'd have Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Earth, etc. But you wouldn't capitalize it in a statement such as "They left the earth" or "The earth's surface is surrounded by. . .." Whether you capitalize pope or not is entirely up to you. Most references nowadays wouldn't capitalize it unless it immediately precede's the pope's name: "Pope John," for instance.
Authority for this last point: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission. p. 209.
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QUESTION |
I am looking for "standards" for writing meeting minutes are there any sources you can recommend. I work for an environmental and engineering company. Thank you for your help
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Natick, Massachusetts Thu, Sep 24, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
I, too, have been looking for such guidelines in an online site, but I've never found them. And I don't happen to have such resources where I am. I assume Robert's Rules of Order speaks to the issue, and your local bookstore or library ought to have a copy of that. If someone has a better idea (especially about finding guidelines online), I'll leave an e-mail icon here.
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QUESTION |
When writing about a series of items, people tend to place a comma before the "and". I feel this is not correct. Did you know, however, that Windows 97 prompts you if you delete the comma before the "and".
Please advise and provide the "rule". Thank you.
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Somewhere, California Thu, Sep 24, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
In journalism, newspaper writing, you would probably never put a comma before the and in a series (3 or more) things. Otherwise, you probably would; thus, Windows 97's prompt. It's still an optional thing, and many writers will leave it out. The problem with leaving it out is that sometimes the last two items in a series -- especially if it's a long or complex list -- will tend to glom together, like macaroni and cheese. Oddly enough, this is one of the first rules cited in Strunk's Elements of Style, if you're still looking for authorities in the matter.
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QUESTION |
The following sentence contains a mistake.
"The litter may not, at present, pose a serious threat to health but it certainly decreases both comfortable and pleasure."
Should I use "comfort" instead of "comfortable" here? Or should I add
"environment" after "pleasure"?
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Hong Kong Thu, Sep 24, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Yes, we need a noun there -- comfort (not "comfortable," an ajective) -- to go along with "pleasure." The "environment" after "pleasure" would just make things worse. Incidentally, I would put a comma after "health," before the coordinating conjunction.
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QUESTION |
I have looked far and wide in printed and online references for any guidance on choosing between toward and towards. I suppose I can accept tha possibility that the two might be interchangeable, but in some circumstances one may sound better than the other, and I cannot tell if that is a result of familiarity or correct usage. On your prepositions page you note that a person can walk toward the desk, and I would simply ask, since I believe a person can also walk towards the desk, is there any rule of thumb for preferring one over the other?
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Fairfax, Virginia Thu, Sep 24, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
The short answer is no, there isn't. It's only a matter of what sounds better to you. I would recommend consistency within a document, I suppose (although I probably have violated that rule of consistency myself). I've been told that towards is more British than American, but I'm not sure I believe that.
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