The
Grammar
Logs
# 238

QUESTION
Is this sentence intransitive passive voice?
The shoes were found in the closet.
Can intransitive verbs be used in the passive voice?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Yardley, Pennsylvania Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
This is getting weird. (See the last question in the previous grammar log.) Why do you call that verb "were found" intransitive? Yes, it's passive, but it's certainly not intransitive. Something happened to something here -- the shoes were found, even if it was passive in nature. [E-Mail Icon]The passive voice means that the subject is acted upon (as opposed to doing the action). If we have an intransitive verb -- The patient died. -- there's no way to create a passive voice situation for that verb. At least that's my understanding of this. I'll leave an e-mail icon here in case someone else has a better idea.

QUESTION
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
Most of the target readers are people in Japan with a minority of foreigners who cannot read Japanese.
Would it make all the difference in meaning if I put in a comma after the word "Japan" in the sentence above?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Canada Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You need something stronger than a comma after "Japan" -- a dash, perhaps. But even then, it's not the clearest sentence I've ever read. It's quite ambiguous. How does the prepositional phrase "with a minority of foreigners who cannot read Japanese" modify "people in Japan" and how is related to the idea of "target readers"?

QUESTION
Are all of the following sentences grammatically correct:
  1. I would appreciate it if you would help me.
  2. I would appreciate if you would help me.
  3. I would appreciate your helping me.
Also, which is preferred?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
San Jose, California Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I would say that the first and third are better than the second (which doesn't rank at all). "Appreciate" is looking for an object, whether it's the "it" of #1 or the "your helping" of #3. I would prefer #3 because it's simpler, more direct.

QUESTION
Hello! I'm writing this because I am a new member of a middle school team. We seem to have a dilemma over how to correctly use our name. Are we the Husky Team or should we be called the Huskies team and why?

Thank you for your time.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Since I live only a few miles away from the University of Connecticut and all I read about in the newspapers and hear about on the news is the UConn Huskies, I'm an expert on this matter. You are "the Huskies." I suppose you can refer to one member of the team as a "Husky," but the team -- forget about it! -- you're "the Huskies" now. The "Husky Team" makes you sound like a bunch of eager but slightly overweight athletes.

QUESTION
My teacher asked me to find the history of grammer. I've gone to the library and there is nothing there. Can you help?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Brooklyn, New York Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Maybe you had trouble because you spelled it grammer instead of grammar? Or perhaps you went to the wrong library or asked the wrong question. It's too big a question to deal with here, that's for sure. Whole courses and textbooks are devoted to the subject. I wish you luck in your next trip to the library.

QUESTION
What is the specific diference between present progressive and present participle? Both are:
I am walking.
How does one know the difference or explain it. Does it matter?

Thank you soooooo much!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I am walking is the present progressive, which is made up of an auxiliary verb ("am," in this case) plus the present participle. A present participle, by itself (like "walking") is not a verb: "The dog ran up and bit the walking man."

QUESTION
I'm having trouble with tenses. As you will see, the mentor is still the president and etc. but I'm talking about what happened THEN.
e.g. "A major turn in the road came when I started working with a producer who turned out to be my mentor. Not only is she the president of her own incorporated production company, but she also produces, directs and writes. She taught me invaluable professional skills and opened my eyes to the different roles that women have in the entertainment industry, one that is sometimes unfair."
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
New York, New York Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Does it matter to your reader that this woman is still doing what she did when she was your mentor? Probably not. Stick with the past tense and describe what she did, not what she does. I'm not sure about your last use of the present tense, "one that is sometimes unfair," but that's because I'm not sure what "one" is referring to. You were talking about the roles that women have in the entertainment industry and you suddenly say that something is unfair. Try repeating what you're really talking about here: "roles that women have in the entertainment industry, an industry that is notoriously unfair to women." (or something to that effect, but better). It still feels like you're going off in another direction, an uncomfortable direction (however true) that leaves behind what you were saying about your mentor.

QUESTION
It is correct to refer to a "two pronged approach" or should it be a "two prong approach" or are both acceptable?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Potomac, Maryland Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The approach is "pronged." You want a "two-pronged approach." (I had never realized what an odd-sounding word that is.)

QUESTION
How do I explain to a student (or to myself) why it is WRONG to write, e.g., "In writing well, mind and body become one"--i.e., that the subject of the main clause (mind and body) must also be the subject (?) of "in writing well."

What is the technical name for this grammatical error?

Thanks!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Baltimore, Maryland Fri, Oct 23, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
You have a modifying phrase here, "In writing well," and it's trying to modify the subject of your independent clause, "mind and body." I don't believe "mind and body" are writing well, though, are they? The writer's mind and body might become one as he or she writes (although I've never actually seen that happen, and I'm picturing my body suddenly reduced to a rubbery, wrinkled, grey mass having a heck of a time reaching the keyboard). I'd give the sentence a real subject: "In writing well, the writer experiences _____ ." (well, something, but this monistic urge is a dangerous thing, no matter how temporary).

QUESTION
Grammar:

I'm hearing the following two words used together and it sounds wrong to me. I have asked several teachers and others and they can't give me an answer either. Would you please tell me if it is correct to say "these ones"? Thanks.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Eugene, Oregon Mon, Oct 26, 1998
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I can't imagine a situation in which that construction would be appropriate. Every time I come close, I simply substitute the word "these," and that seems to suffice quite nicely. Forget about "these ones."

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