The
Grammar
Logs
# 236

QUESTION
I want to learn how to write a very well developed paragraph.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Tue, Oct 20, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You can start with the Principles of Composition, but the most important thing is that you read, critically and with eyes and heart open, good writers.

QUESTION
Is the term, "third-world countries" appropriate?
e.g. "Outlining my college career was my involvement with Amnesty International and generating awareness of the atrocities of torture in third-world countries."
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
New York, New York Tue, Oct 20, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It's OK if you leave out the hyphen. The sentence has some other problems, though. I'm not sure that "outlining" is the best word you could use there. And the "and" is connecting two nonparallel elements: "Highlighting (?) my college career was generating awareness. . . "? And the phrase "atrocities of torture" bothers me a bit. Torture is an atrocity; this phrasing suggests that torture has other, perhaps more benign aspects. But now I'm sticking my nose into affairs when I wasn't asked.

QUESTION
In the following sentence which is correct? "compared with" or "compared to"
Within the Neighborhood, a larger percentage of single-family detached and mobile homes/trailers is renter occupied compared with other jurisdictions (36 and 59 percent compared to less than 20 and approximately 25 percent, respectively).
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Annapolis, Maryland Tue, Oct 20, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Compared to would be appropriate there. (But I don't think compared with would be wrong.) Make sure, though, that you're comparing two like things: "a larger percentage . . . . is renter occupied compared to the level of occupancy (?) in other jurisdictions." Frankly, it looks like the kind of thing that would be much better off in a table.

QUESTION
Happy Boss's Day or Happy Boss' Day
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The New York Public Library's Writer's Guide prefers Boss' Day, but I don't agree with them. I'd use Happy Boss's Day, myself.

QUESTION
For a formal essay, I've been telling my students to write out whole percents and numbers that can be written as one word -- ie. twenty, thirty-three, forty percent, etc. One student asked, what do I do about partial percents? -- ie. 4.2% or 42.5%. What should she do if she has to blend a partial percent with a number that should be written out? -- ie. forty percent and 4.2% in the same sentence.

Thanks and I'll be waiting to hear from you.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Scottsdale, Arizona Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The Chicago Manual of Style says to use numerals when there's a mix of whole numbers and fractions, and I assume they'd feel the same way about decimals. They also say never to begin a sentence with a numeral, even if it causes an inconsistency in the way way you report your percentages (at least in nonscientific text), so you'd have to work around that somehow.

Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. p. 298.
QUESTION
Simple or Compound sentence?
--In recent years the social disablities have increased, and have taken three different forms.
My confusion is because of comma used before "and". Comma is to be used when we are joining two independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions such as" and". But second clause is not an independent clause.

Would you please clarify my doubt. Thanks.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
United Arab Emirates Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You're right, you don't have two independent clauses in that sentence; you have, instead, a compound predicate. The comma is not really necessary. In defense of the writer, however, a comma can be used if it lends itself to the readability of the sentence or if the writer wishes to bring special emphasis to the second part of the predicate. (I don't know if that's happening here, but it's possible.)

QUESTION
I would like to know what would be a good method to learn not to say the word ( ain't ). If you could help me in this area it would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
East Moline, Illinois Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Run electrodes from a large car battery to various sensitive parts of your body. Sit down to play poker with good friends and instruct them that you will pay them five dollars to give you a good jolt every time you say the word ain't. Your habit will probably be broken by the end of the evening. I suppose, in a more positive vein, it would be helpful to know when you're saying it so that you can predict when you're going to say it and then find some other means of expressing the same thing: "am not, are not, is not," etc. And, in truth, that might require the intervention of at least one good friend (preferably not one that you're married to).

QUESTION
Please punctuate this sentence correctly.
missy mom dad and tom fight argue and cry
Do you capitalize Mom and Dad?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Newport, Pennsylvania Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Missy, Mom, Dad, and Tom fight, argue, and cry.
Yes, you'd capitalize Mom and Dad because those words are substituting for their names in this context.

QUESTION
How do I identify a prepositional phrase as an adjective or an adverb? ex-
In the box was a beautiful lamp?
is in the box a adjective or an adverb prep phrase
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Rehoboth, Massachusetts Wed, Oct 21, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
In your example, the preposition phrase is telling where the box was; it is modifying the verb, was, so it's an adverb. If we wrote, "The beautiful lamp in the box was broken," the prepositional phrase is modifying the word lamp, so it's an adjective.

I've changed my mind about this. Is it possible that the phrase "in the box" is serving as a predicate adjective in an inverted sentence? If so, that means the phrase is acting as an adjective. (10/28/98)


QUESTION
What would the punctuation after Jeff be?
You have too many simple sentences in the paragraph, Jeff vary your sentences for a better paragraph.
Would you place a comma before the word instead??
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Woodbridge, Virginia Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
We have two sentences here. Put a period after "Jeff" and begin a new sentence with "Vary." A semicolon might suffice, but a period is undoubtedly better.

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