QUESTION |
I'd like to know the usage of one.
- Is it correct to use "ones" in (a)?
- Can I use "one" after "they" in (b)? Or should I somehow change the sentence?
- These first orders would be commemorative ones. It is one of the landmarks for our business.
- These first orders would be commemorative. They are one of the landmarks for our business.
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Yokohama, Japan Mon, Oct 12, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Sentence "b" is an improvement over sentence "a." In "a," it is unclear whether "it" refers to "ones," which is definitely strange, or the practice of making first orders commemorative. You might have said, in "b," that "they are the initial landmark(s ?) of our business" (to avoid that "they are one" business).
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QUESTION |
Is it grammatically correct to say "I will" and "They will"? I was taught that it was proper to say " I shall " and "We shall". I was recently told that that form is considered antiquated.
My second question is : Is "irregardless" acceptable? Again, I was taught that it is not a word. Regardless is the correct usage. Someone said that I was not correct. Right or wrong?
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Bartow, Florida Mon, Oct 12, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Traditionally, "shall" was used with first person I and we instead of "will." Today, no one pays much attention to that distinction, and "will" is used instead of "shall." The word "shall" is now reserved for situations implying mandatory action: "The students shall come to the front of the classroom." and to invite or offer: "Shall I call a cab for you?"
Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. p. 150. Cited with permission.
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QUESTION |
This question came up in class:
- "Jack thinks that longer classes IS a good idea."
- or "Jack thinks that longer classes ARE a good idea."
Somehow I thought that "is" sounded better (because of the word IDEA), but I talked to some other teachers (not ESL teachers, which is what I am) and they thought that "are" was right.
Here's another one:
When do you use "in our life" and when do you use "in our lives?" I tend to go for the plural form...my students always use it in singular.
Along those same lines, would it be correct to say, "Many kids out there never go to know their DAD..." or would one use "dads" there. Again, I go for the plural, but I'm not sure which is right.
Thanks for your time!
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Brooklyn, New York Mon, Oct 12, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
It sometimes happens that a linking verb will connect a plural subject (classes, in this case) to a singular predicate (idea), but the subject determines the number of the verb, so we want are in that sentence. "In our life/lives" is going to depend on context, I would think. If we're talking about the life we share in common or or lifetime, I think "life" would be appropriate; if we're talking about our separate lives, then "our lives" would be appropriate. In the final example you give, I would use "Dad"; "dads" makes it sound as if they have more than one father, which is possible legally and literarily, I suppose, but not biologically (to the best of my knowledge).
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QUESTION |
My question is this: is irregardless a word? I was taught that it was not, but now I am told that it is. Anxious to know. Thank you so much for your help. This is a wonderful web site.
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Bartow, Florida Tue, Oct 13, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Sorry, I forgot to answer that part of your question. Irregardless is a word, of course -- a nonstandard variant of regardless. You'll hear it in speech and you might even find it in informal writing, but I would certainly avoid it in formal or academic prose. In fact, I'd avoid it altogether, because it's one of those words that people who love English like to use against you in a court of grammar.
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QUESTION |
1. What's the difference between the following two sentences? Which one is better?
- I use scissors to cut some paper.
- I use scissors for cutting some paper.
2. Which one is correct?
- I write on the blackboard with some chalk.
- I write on the blackboard with some chalks
Should we put "the" in the following sentence?
- I need tissue paper to clean "the" hands and the faces in the birthday party.
Thank you for your help!
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Hong Kong Tue, Oct 13, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
There is no difference between "a" and "b"; probably "a," with the infinitive, would be slightly preferred. We would not pluralize "chalk" that way. (We might say "pieces of chalk," but not "chalks." I don't think this applies to artists' use of colored chalk; they might, in fact, use "chalks.") We don't need the in the birthday party sentence, but it still sounds strange. We could write the following ("tissue paper," which we often use as a soft wrapping paper, and "tissues" are not the same thing):
I need tissues to clean the children's hands and faces at the birthday party.
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QUESTION |
Referring to the question from Gainesville, Florida in Log#225.
Is it still correct to use "two of them" instead of "two of whom"?
Thanks!
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SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Bangkok, Thailand Tue, Oct 13, 1998
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GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
[Refers to Grammar 125, #9] Yes, in fact that would probably be a better sentence. However, with "two of them," a separate independent clause (or sentence) will be required:
John Doe and his wife, Betty, have five children; two of them have attended the university.
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