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The Grammar Logs # 219 |
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| QUESTION |
Which is correct:
We do a MVR on all applicants for employment or We do an MVR on all applicants for employment.MVR is an acronym for Motor Vehicle Registration. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Oglesby, Illinois  Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You do an MVR because the letter "M" begins with a vowel sound -- em. |
| QUESTION |
When you have a noun that is an acronym, and its ends in "S", what is the proper way to indicate a possessive?
For example:
The IRS's new law is confusing.Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Natick, Massachusetts Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The IRS's construction removes a possible ambiguity there, and there's no reason not to use the apostrophe -s. |
| QUESTION |
| When is it appropriate to use a semicolon to separate clauses, versus using a colon? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| San Antonio, Texas Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I suggest you review the sections on semicolons and colons. It's rather rare, actually, to separate clauses with a colon. You would use a semicolon when two independent clauses are not connected by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, etc.) and the clauses are nicely balanced. You would also use the semicolon when the clauses are connected by a transitional expression -- such as however, morever, nevertheless, etc. |
| QUESTION |
| Why does it sound wrong when foreigners say "have been" instead of "was?" For example, "I have been at home last night" versus "I was at home last night." I can't explain to them why it sounds wrong. Can you help? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Berkeley, California Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| We use the present perfect "have been" to describe a situation which was in the past and continues into the present ("I have been a teacher for thirty years."). Since "last night" is over, we would use the past tense. This is, however, one of the most difficult points for ESL learners to master -- with good reason. If I continue to be at home, why can't I use the present perfect? Because "last night" is a time-signal indicating the period of time is over. But it's not as easy as it seems for native speakers and writers. |
| QUESTION |
How to punctuate the following sentences- Unless you lie down for a while, you'll collapse from overwork. Is it overwork or overworking.Is "the" capitalized, how about the other punctuation? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Alexandria, Virginia Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Overwork" is a noun; "collapsing from overwork" is OK. Most authorities nowadays tell us not to capitalize the the which precedes the name of a newspaper, even when that the is part of the title. (For instance the name of Hartford's major daily is The Hartford Courant, as opposed to the Daily Oklahoman, which has no "the" in its title. But we would refer to them both as the _______ . |
| QUESTION |
When using who or whom which is correct in this sentence:
----- is leaving this mess? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Aurora, Colorado Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Who is leaving this mess?" See the section on Who/Whom and take the who/whom quizzes. |
| QUESTION |
What is wrong with this sentence: In a university, some students did a study to find if the music you listen to affects your I.Q. and their studies showed that people that listen to classical music are smarter than those who don't. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hunstville, Alabama Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
It has a couple of problems. It shifts from "you" to "people"; it would work much better as two separate sentences. (Also, I would write "people who listen" (in that second clause), but that is not actually wrong.) Try this:
In a university, some students did a study to discover if the music that people listen to affects their I.Q. Their studies showed that people that listen to classical music are smarter than those who don't.Other than that, the logic is just weak. The second sentence doesn't support the first sentence. People who listen to classical music might be smarter, but that doesn't mean the classical music made them smarter. |
| QUESTION |
| I'd like to ask you about "Past Modals"
In what cases do I have to use: I should have been + verb (participle)...... or
I should + verb (participle) Thank you .... |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Lima, Peru Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "I should have been working in the garden" implies that for some period in the past (and right up into the present), it was incumbent upon me to be slaving away in the garden. I'm not aware of any construction like "should + participle." Do you mean "I should be + participle"? Then you could say, "I should be working in the garden," and express the notion that someone (yourself?) thinks that you ought to be in the garden, working, now. |
| QUESTION |
| 1. How does one refer to an item owned by two people using proper nouns? For example, is it correct to say "Joe and Becky's baby" or "Joe's and Becky's baby?" My first reaction is to say Joe and Becky's baby, although that application
of the rule could possibly be miscontrued. For example, Joe and Becky's shoes are in the other room. This could mean the shoes owned by Joe and Becky are in the other room, or simply that Joe is in the other room with Becky's shoes. 2. I've always been told to put the first person pronoun at the end of a list such as Troy, Bryan and I. However, one of my co-workers informed me that the exception to this rule involves the use of the predicate. For instance, instead of saying "Give the money to John and me," you should say "Give the money to me and John." Which rule applies? Thank you for all of your help! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Wichita, Kansas Thu, Oct 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| 1. If Joe and Becky "own" this baby in common, you'd use "Joe and Becky's baby." If they have separate ownership, let's say of two cars in the driveway, you'd use "Joe's and Becky's cars." 2. It's probably not as important in the object forms as it is in the subject forms of a sentence, but it is certainly regarded as good form to put the "other pronoun" before the "me." 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. p. 214.
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