The
Grammar
Logs
# 237

QUESTION
Which sentence is correct? Could you explain why?
  1. A group of marines was waiting for the helicopter.
  2. A group of marines were waiting for the helicopter.
Thank you!
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Chicago, Illinois Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The subject of the verb is "a group" (not "marines"), and group is a collective noun in which the participants are acting as one thing. Thus we want a singular verb, "was waiting."

QUESTION
I am imprinting Christmas cards for a Hallmark store. We have had customers' complaints and need to know the correct way to say a family's name. If the family last name is Opdycke:
  • The Opdycke's
    or
  • The Opdyckes
I have asked several people and consulted several books and it seems that there are those who argue each way. Just looking for another opinion. Thank you for not passing along my email address or my name.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Anaheim, California Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
If you're using the word as a plural ("We're going to visit the Opdyckes."), simply add the pluralizing "s" to the name. If you using the name as both plural and possessive ("We spent the afternoon at the Opdyckes'."), pluralize with the "s" and then add the apostrophe to indicate possession (leaving the thing possessed -- home, apartment, residence -- understood, if you wish). If you're writing an invitation, then, you'd invite people to the Opdyckes' [home] for a party.

QUESTION
Please help me with these:
  1. Each boy and girl "is" "are" required to submit their works.
  2. Get a hold of "yourself" "your self!"
Thanks in advance
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Taipei, Taiwan Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The subject of #1 is controlled by "each," which makes it singular. We want "is." In #2, "yourself" will suffice. I think most writers would write, "Get hold of yourself!"

QUESTION
Re: "Notorious Confusables"

[Referring to Notorious Confusables Quiz IV.]

In one of your quizzes, the player is asked to choose between the words "that" and "which." I'm confused. The correct answer is listed as: "If anyone has doubts about the values that our organization is based on, that person should leave."

I think that it should read: "If anyone has doubts about the values on which our organization is based, then that person should leave."

Am I wrong? If so, then would you please explain why?

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You're absolutely right. I've changed the question to "If anyone has doubts about the values _____ our organization embraces, then that person should leave." (Mainly so I could use the same answer and not have to change the code.) Thank you very much for pointing this out to me. I suppose most writers would rewrite it as "If anyone has doubts about the values embraced by our organization, that person should leave."

QUESTION
How is the possessive case used in a compound? For example:
My mom's and my past are much alike.
Is "mom's" written as a possessive in this case? Does it affect the possessive pronoun?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Arcanum, Ohio Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Yes, mom's is fine there, and it has no effect on "my past" at all. If this construction sounds odd to you, you might try wording it so that you're talking about our past, instead. What a lovely name for a town, Arcanum!

QUESTION
I have noticed that certain sentence structures that refer to past events do not allow past tenses. Example :
  • I heard the phone ring just now.
  • This made me feel that I was wrong.
I am having difficulties in deciding when to apply such exceptions in the past tenses. Is there any specific grammatical names for all these situations such as "verbs of senses" or something like that. It is difficult to find explainations for these exceptions in grammar books.

Which are the books that I can refer to ?

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Singapore Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Those things that look like verbs "ring" and "feel" are actually infinitives without the "to": "I heard the phone [to] ring." "This made me [to] feel. . . " This will happen with verbs of feeling and also with what are called causative verbs. "She made the class [to] read four books in a week." "She let them [to] skip doing homework on Friday."

QUESTION
Is it neccessary to repeat a preposition when applying it to two objects, if the objects are separated by 'or'? Example:
  • Leave a message for me or my mother.
    - or -
  • Leave a message for me or for my mother.
Are both of these correct?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Princeton, New Jersey Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The one preposition will suffice for the compounded objects of the preposition. It is not incorrect to repeat the preposition, but it's certainly unnecessary.

QUESTION
I found an interesting sentence including 'endangered species.'
Endangered species doesn't imply that they are extinct.
Why is 'doesn't' instead of 'don't' used after the plural form, 'endangered species'? Why is 'they' used then?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Yokohama, Japan Thu, Oct 22, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I think that the writer meant to use endangered species as the term, here; it probably should have been italicized or put in quotation marks so that would be more clear. Or the writer could have put it this way: The term endangered species doesn't imply that the species is extinct.

QUESTION
Which sentence is correct?
  • 'you will be surely fascinated by...'
    OR
  • 'you will surely be fascinated by...'
Thanks a lot.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The second one. The first allows for the ambiguity of being "surely fascinated," and we don't want. What does it mean to be "surely fascinated"? I will "surely be fascinated," not "be surely fascinated." (I hope this answer doesn't confuse you.)

QUESTION
What voice are linking verbs, active or passive? What is the rational for the answer?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
New Brighton, Minnesota Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The definition of passive voice is that the subject is being acted upon. Since a linking verb doesn't allow for the subject to be acted upon -- since all it does is link the subject to something else, it can't be passive. I guess that makes a linking verb active by default, doesn't it? There's probably a better answer, but that one will suffice, I think.

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