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The Grammar Logs # 269 |
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| QUESTION |
| What is the difference between "among" and "amongst" ? Which is the prefered usage? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Somewhere, Hawaii  Mon, Dec 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You'll sometimes hear and even read a usage such as "They're talking amongst themselves." There's nothing wrong with it; it's just a variant spelling of among. But some writers would say it's rather stuffy. Among will almost do the job. |
| QUESTION |
I need to know the proper abbreviation for the year. For example, if the year is 1998, which of these is proper:
Thank you for your time. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Mill Valley, California Mon, Dec 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The apostrophe goes in front of the number -- thus indicating the location of the missing digits. If you're using "fancy quotes," make sure the apostrophe curls away from the number, as in "the class of ’66." |
| QUESTION |
Would you please tell me if this is correct:
This process leaves the duodenum behind the superior mesenteric artery, while the transverse colon lay anteriorly. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Providence, Rhode Island Mon, Dec 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Anatomically, it could be just fine, but grammatically there might be a couple of problems. Since you're in the present tense with "leaves," I would think you want the present tense with "lies" (as opposed to "lay"). I have to assume the "anteriorly" makes sense. (It doesn't have to be anteriorly relative to something else?) |
| QUESTION |
How do you punctuate this?
Have you been to Washington, D.C.?Is it correct to have the period and question mark together? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Callahan, Florida Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes. You wouldn't want to add another period at the end of a sentence that ends with an abbreviation, but a question mark or an exclamation point can be added. |
| QUESTION |
In a recent essay, I lost marks for using the word 'their' in the following way:
'When an actor creates a character he or she will not only utilise his or her training, but they will also utilise their own personality and experiences.'I started with a singular 'an actor', I then indicated that there were two actors 'his or her', I then talked about them using 'they' and 'their'. I checked the Collins Dictionary - Australian Edition, and 'Their' means of, belonging to, or associated in some way with them. I can't see where I went wrong (my tutor has gone OS for the holidays and this is bugging me!) Thanks for your help and Happy Holidays |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Somewhere, Australia Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| That's a tough thing to lose marks for, but your OS instructor probably has a point. The "their" can refer to "they," all right, but who does the "they" refer to? There's nothing plural for "they" to connect with -- especially since you've done such a good job with the singular actor and the "he and she" and the "his and her" business. "His or her" doesn't indicate two actors; it indicates either a male actor or a female actor, singularly, one at a time. If we'd started with the plural actors to begin with, we might have avoided the whole problem. |
| QUESTION |
| My question is, when writing a sentence using "however" do you use a semi-colon, a comma, or both? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Syracuse, New York Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
That depends on what the "however" is doing. If it's acting as an adverbial conjunction at that point where two independent clauses come together, it ought to be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma:
Syracuse sometimes gets over 200 inches of snow in a year; however, this winter could prove an exception.If the "however" is a parenthetical element in the middle of a clause, it will probably be set apart with a pair of commas: There are other cities, however, that deserve the title of Snow Capital of Upstate New York. |
| QUESTION |
Where do the commas belong in this sentence?
Yesterday early in the morning during a heavy downpour or rain Mr. Hason saw me at the bus stop and gave me a ride to school. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Huntsville, Alabama Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
You can try this:
Yesterday, early in the morning, during a heavy downpour or rain, Mr. Hason saw me at the bus stop and gave me a ride to school.The beginning of that sentence, though, is still a mess. What does "heavy downpour or rain" mean? We might have written "During yesterday's early morning downpour, Mr. Hason . . . " |
| QUESTION |
| I have problems with taking notes, I have a hard time taking notes from the Weekly Reader. How do I take good notes? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Rota, Spain Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| There are some great hints on note-taking from our college's Learning Center: "The Art of Taking Notes. It's designed primarily for learning to take notes in a lecture situation, but I would think it would be helpful, also, for taking notes from an article. |
| QUESTION |
| Could I use the name of a week in the lower case when I use it in very general terms?
For example, when I say, " This Sunday he will get up late", I shall use it in upper case because I am being specific. But do I have to use the upper case even when I say, " On sundays he gets up late"? Could you also tell me the difference between "Instantly" and "Instantaneously", please? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Tue, Dec 15, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| No, there's no way (that I can think of) that you would use the day of the week in a lower-case. It sounds odd to say so, but instantaneously happens faster than instantly. If I say that a certain brand of aspirin relieves your headache instantly, that's really fast, but there might still be a measurable period of time between when you take the aspirin and when you feel relief. If the aspirin relieves your headache instantaneously, that means that by the time you've swallowed the aspirin, that headache is gone. Hooray! |
| QUESTION |
Which is correct, and why?
Thanks in advance for your help; this is driving me crazy! I have a feeling that the first form is correct, but I don't know why. It seems that it might be related to unreal conditionals which use the past and past continuous. (It's time we were going.)? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Chicago, Illinois Wed, Dec 16, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Although "it's time we go" is probably acceptable, the subjunctive "It's time [that] we went" is used because the statement falls into the category of suggestion (or desire or wish). You'll see this in "that clauses" a lot: "It's time that we be allowed to give the defendant some latitude." "The attorneys asked that the judge be removed from the case."
Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997. p. 243.
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