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# 223

QUESTION
In the following sentence is pages a direct object? If not WHY?
" Allison gazes at the pages."
What makes this sentence different from the below.
" Allison has recieved a catalog."
Thank you for your assistance.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Williamsport, Pennsylvania Tue, Oct 6, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The first sentence contains a prepositional phrase, "at the pages," that tells us where Allison is gazing (i.e., it's acting as an adverb). The second sentence contains an actual direct object; it tells us what Allison received; it is the object of Allison's act of receiving, as it were. I hope this explanation doesn't actually make things more confusing for you!

QUESTION
Hello.
Would you read the following?
...; television watching occupies eye and ear simultaneously in a continuous way and leaves no room for daydreaming. That is what makes watching television such an inferior form of leisure -- not that it's passive but that it offers so little opportunity for reflection.
My question is: What does That in "That is what makes ..." refer to?

My friend maintains that it refers to the previous sentence "television watching occupies ... for daydreaming." I think, however, that it refers to the following clause "that it offers so little opportunity for reflection". (Does this "reflection mean "thinking"?) Which is right? Or both parts mean the similar thing?

I'd appreciate your help on this. Thank you very much.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Saporro, Japan Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Yes, that indefinite pronoun, "that" refers to the entire preceding sentence. I suppose this is what makes pronouns so tricky; they can refer to single words, whole sentences, even whole paragraphs. And yes, "reflection," in this case, means thinking.

QUESTION
I would like your answer to this:
What is the subject of the following sentence: "Making its appearance in the 1940s was a new kind of painting."
Could you please offer an explanation of your choice, also? Thank you
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Hagerstown, Maryland Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I think what you've got here is an inverted sentence -- one in which the subject, "a new kind," appears after the verb. At the beginning of the sentence you have a participial phrase modifying the subject. This is rather a journalistic type of inversion, used to bring focus on the last part of the sentence.

Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission. p. 414.
QUESTION
Does the word "PREMIUM" have a plural form (i.e. premia, premiums) or is it plural already?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Atlanta, Georgia Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Normally, that word is a noncount noun (the premium we put on good performance, for instance) and we wouldn't pluralize it. However, there is the meaning of "something given free or at a reduced price with the purchase of a product or service," and surely someone can offer more than one premium -- premiums. At this point in the word's history, I doubt if anyone worries about its Latin beginnings.

QUESTION
In a sentence such as this:
"We serve several clients including Joe, Bob, and George."
Should there be a punctuation mark before the word "including"? Also, inverted, should the sentence read:
"Including Joe, Bob, and George; we serve several clients."
Or is that semicolon just goofy? Thank you.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Schaumburg, Illinois Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The comma before including is optional -- depending on how much of an afterthought it is that you're including Joe, Bob, and George on this list. You could even use a dash to set off this afterthought, but that's a bit unlikely.

The word goofy doesn't exactly leap into mind as a description of that semicolon, and I can even see some logic to it -- but it wouldn't be correct; the comma will suffice.


QUESTION
When you personalize something, like for example:
It was Casey's toy.
Is the aprostrophe 's or after the s?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Los Angeles, California Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I'm not sure what you mean by "personalizing" something. Whatever Casey is, the toy belongs to Casey, and we would write this possessive, "Casey's toy."

QUESTION
I have trouble with verbs and nouns. Can you help me?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Barnesville, Georgia Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You've got yourself a world of trouble then. Please review the sections on Nouns and Verbs, take all the pertinent quizzes, and then write back if you still have questions -- more specific questions, I hope.

QUESTION
I'm confused when the word "mayor" should be capitalized.

Three examples:

  • The Mayor of Northdale made an announcement.
  • The mayor gives a speech on Ben Franklin Avenue.
  • The mayor buys a turkey at the Tom Turkey Market.
First of all, are these correct the way they are written? And how do I know when to capitalize "mayor" and when to leave it in lower case only?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Pennsylvania Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The tendency in most writing manuals nowadays is to recommend not capitalizing such titles unless they're actually part of someone's name, as in "The meeting was called to order by Mayor Duffy." Otherwise, leave it in lower case.

QUESTION
What does compound predicate mean and what are compound subject parts ?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Perry Hall, Maryland Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
A compound predicate means that more than one thing is going on with the subject. "McGwire broke the home-run record and made himself a Hall of Fame candidate." The two parts of the predicate are connected by "and." A compound subject can be as simple and "Joe and I went to the movies." I'm not sure how the word "parts" is being used in your question -- the compound subject, "Joe and I," has two parts. I hope this answers your question.

QUESTION
When should i make text bold in a document?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
New Delhi, India Wed, Oct 7, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
If you're talking about academic text or material produced for publication elsewhere (not desktop publication), the answer is probably never. Both the MLA Handboook and the APA Manual completely ignore such features of modern word processing. It's probably just as well; some students would go nuts and make every other word bold or in italics or purple.

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