|
The Grammar Logs # 235 |
|
| QUESTION |
| When writing a long quotation that is divided into several paragraphs, but is spoken by only one person, where do you locate quotation marks? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Sterling, Illinois  Mon, Oct 19, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You have an opening quotation mark at the beginning of each paragraph, but you never actually close the quotation with a closing quotation mark until the person finally shuts up. See one of Joseph Conrad's short stories where the "overheard" narrator goes on paragraph after paragraph, page after page, with each paragraph begun with a quotation mark, but the closing quotation doesn't come until the end. |
| QUESTION |
| Need the name of as many linking verbs as you possibly can name |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Houston, Texas Mon, Oct 19, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Start with the verb "to be" and then add the verbs of sense: to smell, to feel, to taste, etc. Then there are seems, becomes, grows, remains. Now you're on your own. |
| QUESTION |
| What would "past modals of deduction" fall under. I have looked up modals but haven't been able to find the "deduction" part. What would be an example of this structure? Thanks for your help. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada Mon, Oct 19, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
![[E-Mail Icon]](../gif/email.gif){kind=small} Fact is, I have no idea. I will place an e-mail icon here in the hopes that someone else will know and send us a note.
|
| QUESTION |
| Last Monday the haitian club held its first meeting. Is this right? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Liothonia, Georgia Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| No, I'm sure the Haitian Club would appreciate capitalizing its name. I would put a comma after "Last Monday," too, but it's not really wrong not to. |
| QUESTION |
| My five-year-old daughter said, "I will hold the dog here for she won't go in there." Now I know that sentence is incorrect, but nobody seems to be able to explain why. Would you? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's certainly unusual for your five-year-old to use "for" in that way. In fact, it's unusual for anyone to use "for" in that way. But I certainly don't see anything wrong with it; in fact, it's quite extraordinary (assuming the difference between "here" and "there" is clear in context). If I were writing the sentence, I'd want to put a comma after "here." Please send your daughter to Hartford to take my college English classes -- now. |
| QUESTION |
| Do I have to capitalize the s in southern Mesopotamia? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Shelton, Connecticut Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| No, not unless it's the name of an actual geographical or political entity. If it's merely an adjective indicating direction, don't capitalize it. |
| QUESTION |
What's the difference between:
(two people speaking about the third one)
|
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Opole, Poland Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The "been bathing" could mean that Mary is still sitting in the bathtub; the "bathed" asks if she is finished with the task. "You have drunk" is not what we mean here. If I drink a glass of milk, I could say "I have drunk the milk." "You are drunk" might mean the same as "You have been drinking!" (Although some folks argue that you can be not quite drunk and still have been drinking -- just don't try to tell that to the traffic cop.) |
| QUESTION |
| Could you tell me the correct way to make an acronym plural? For instance, if I shorten the words tenant improvements to TI, is the correct spelling TIs or TI's? I always thought it was the latter. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Conifer, Colorado Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The tendency in modern journalism seems to be against using the apostrophe to form plurals. Thus we now write 1920s, not 1920's. As long as you can avoid confusion, do the same with acronyms. Whether or not that applies to TIs, I leave up to you. Frankly, it looks a bit odd to me, so I'd add the apostrophe. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. p. 197.
|
| QUESTION |
What is the proper way to write:
|
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Somewhere, Russia Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The first version is the correct way. You're not asking a question here, so an inversion of subject and auxiliary verb (as you have in the second version) is not appropriate. (If you omitted "But I don't understand," you'd have a question, and the inverted order would be appropriate.) |
| QUESTION |
I'm trying to figure out the proper use of the term Masters, when referring to someone's degree.
Do you say:
|
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Davidson, North Carolina Tue, Oct 20, 1998
|
| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In referring in a general way to an academic degree like that, we don't capitalize it at all. You could say he earned a master's degree or a master of fine arts or a master's. After his name, you would write, Firstname Lastname, M.F.A. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. p. 244.
|
Previous Grammar Log