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The Grammar Logs # 221 |
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| QUESTION |
Are all of the following sentences corrct?
Thank you very much in advance. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Hyogo, Japan  Sat, Oct 3, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| If I had to choose among those sentences, I suppose I would choose the first one. I would avoid the ones using which, especially the ones using which and ending in a preposition -- although none of those is really wrong. Beyong these choices, though, I would greatly prefer avoiding the Expletive Construction ("that is") and write something like "I will meet you at that restaurant." |
| QUESTION |
If I want to avoid a split infinitive, could I just put the adverb after the infinitive like this:
We have decided to monitor closely every step of the procedure.Thanks for your help. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Taipei, Taiwan Sat, Oct 3, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes. It's probably a good idea whether you're trying to avoid the split infinitive or not. The adverb can also show up at the end of the sentence, but your placement is probably better. |
| QUESTION |
My daughter is in 5th grade and needs help in understanding how to pick out the subject and the verb in a sentence.
EX. Those irresponsible kids spent all of their money at McDonald's.The teachers have worked with her for the last two years and she still does not get it and I am no help. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Horsham, Pennsylvania Sat, Oct 3, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| First, you need to find the verb -- the word or string of words that is carrying the action or the being of the sentence -- in this case, "spent." Then ask WHO or WHAT "verbed" (or verbs or is verbing, whatever). Who or what "spent," here? The kids. So kids is your simple subject. You could say that the more complete subject is "those irresponsible kids." |
| QUESTION |
| How to make a correct sentence of verb, subject, and adverb? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Akron, Ohio Sat, Oct 3, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| She worked quickly. The surgeons operated carefully. |
| QUESTION |
How would you grammatically correct the following sentences?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Sat, Oct 3, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I hope I'm not doing someone's homework here! In #2, I'd end that sentence with a period (what else?). In #3, a comma after a lot seems appropriate. (The sentence would be better without the "because" with a semicolon in that space.) In #4, I wouldn't add a comma, but I could very easily put a comma after aunt if I regard that last clause as "added information." In #1, we've got problems. I guess a comma would do after magazine, but I'd be more comfortable with a dash; that's quite a break in that sentence. |
| QUESTION |
Should you say:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Odense, Denmark Mon, Oct 5, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You could say either. I have had some experience in leading a symphony orchestra. The experience of leading the Cleveland Orchestra was fantastic. "Experience of" seems to point to a specific experience. Notice that in the first sentence here, you could actually leave out the "in." |
| QUESTION |
Can we sometimes use either the past or the present perfect tense in your
phrase to deliver the same meaning?
for example: did you read the book? or have you read the book? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Montreal, Quebec, Canada Mon, Oct 5, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In this case, yes. Good example. |
| QUESTION |
Can you start a sentence in English with a conjuction?
eg:
And then she left the room. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Swansea, UK Mon, Oct 5, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Good writers do this all the time. A sentence beginning with a conjunction will always draw attention to itself, though, so you want to make sure you want to do that. Make sure, first of all, that you need the conjunction, and then make sure that the sentence wouldn't be better off connected (appended?) to the previous sentence. In short, it's all right (in fact, often effective) every once in a while, but you wouldn't want to make a habit of it. And some instructors are quite unhappy about beginning a sentence with a conjunction, so you might want to ask your teacher. |
| QUESTION |
I have heavy baggage and am about to leave a hotel, but I want to go around the city until I leave the city.
Therefore, I would like to leave the bag at a hotel clerk until 9:00 p.m.
Please tell me what I should tell a clerk. Some English guide books shows some examples.
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Tokyo, Japan Mon, Oct 5, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I would think that that sentence #2 and #3 are the best. But the first sentence surely doesn't mean that you're giving your bag away. "Keeping" and "holding" can mean very much the same thing. I can ask you to "keep my money for me," and still expect you to give it back to me at the end of the day. |
| QUESTION |
I would like to know the following.
I wonder if these questions can be applied to those of the grammar, but I am curious to know about those.
I have two sentences whose meanings are very obscure to me.
Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Ulsan, Korea Tue, Oct 6, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I have never heard a sentence quite like the first one. I have heard something like "You got under my skin," which could mean either that you became extremely important to me (usually in a romantic way) or that you irritate me greatly. The second sentence, written that way, could apply to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, where the wayward scientist brought a monstrous man to life. If it were written "I saw a man brought back to life," it would mean that this man had died, momentarily anyway, and someone had brought him back to the living -- either through scientific or strictly miraculous intervention. Please provide an e-mail address when sending in questions. Sometimes we have questions. |
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