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The Grammar Logs # 271 |
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| QUESTION |
| Meals ready to eat I found this sentence in American Newspaper and wonder if it's possible to write it like this. According to English Usage, What would be the subject in this sentence? Meals? If so, i think they better write "to be eaten". I often get confused about the issue on the subject in infinitive. Help me. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Chiba, Japan  Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's possible only to write it that way because it's an expression that's become acceptable over the years. I can sit down at the table, "ready to eat." But I can also go buy a pizza, "ready to eat." You're absolutely right: it means ready to be eaten in this case, but such is English. |
| QUESTION |
Does this sentence require punctuation?
I surprised both my mother and my former piano teacher by signing up for lessons in the Music Department here at school so now I practice every spare minute I can find. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It needs at least a comma after "school." Some writers would rather break this thought into two sentences in an effort to make the relationship between your surprise and your working overtime a bit more clear. |
| QUESTION |
I want you to find clear differences between the two sentences below:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Chiba, Japan Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I think you mean "practical," not "practice." Within a context that would make the "so" logical, either sentence would then be fine. If there's a difference in meaning here, I don't see it. |
| QUESTION |
| When using the word "too" at the end of a sentence (e.g., John and I want to go, too.), is it necessary to put a comma before it? If so, why? If it is not necessary, why? When "too" is used in the middle of a sentence (e.g., I too want to go with John.), should the word be offset by commas? Why or why not? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| West Branch, Iowa Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's a matter of how parenthetical the "too" becomes within the flow of the sentence. I wouldn't put a comma before "too" at the end of the sentence "John and I want to go too." But I would certainly use a pair of commas to set off the "too" in "I, too, want to go." In fact, that sentence is almost unreadable without them. (Does it modify "want" or does it mean "I as well.") Treated parenthetically, the "too" is seen immediately as what is called a focusing adjunct (meaning "as well") and is set off by commas. Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission.
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| QUESTION |
How do I create a sentence using seriation with questions. For example,
The following questions were asked: (a) What is the effect of happiness on life expectancy? (b) How can happiness be identified? and (c) What studies have been conducted to assist in answering the first two questions?Do I include question marks at the end of each seriation point, or only at the end of the entire series? Should each question in the series be capitalized? Please send me the rules and a correct example in answer to my question. Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| McLean, Virginia Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The way you write this series is perfectly acceptable. The capitalization is a good idea, especially in light of each sentence being a complete clause, and yes, use a question mark at the end of each element in the series. You're doing fine; you don't need any rules.
Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997. p. 515.
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| QUESTION |
| When you use a hyphen in a word, such as forced-convection heater, would you capitalize both the "f" in "forced" and the "c" in "convection" if this appeared in a headline? or would you capitalize only the "f" and the "H": Forced-convection Heater. I guess what I'm asking is a rule about capitalization. does the second word of the hyphenated combination get a cap if the rest are capped also? So would it be "Forced-convection Heater" or "Forced-Convection Heater" in a headline? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Toledo, Ohio Fri, Dec 18, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Forced-Convection Heater. I can't find the exact spot, but I'm pretty sure I've seen rules to this effect in the Chicago Manual of Style. I'll keep looking. I also assume you're not talking about a headline in a newspaper, where they might have their own rules about such things. |
| QUESTION |
Hello.
Would you read the following?
1. The tale says that the systems of the body are well adapted to their functions, perhaps perfectly so. What that is supposed to mean is unclear. It is no principle of biology. ...What's the meaning of perhaps perfectly so? Can I rewrite it as follows? 2. ..., and perhaps the systems are perfectly adapted to the functions. What that ...Moreover, what does that refer to? The tale? I'd appreciate your help on these. Thank you very much in advance. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Sapporo, Japan Sun, Dec 20, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You could rewrite the sentence in that way, but it's certainly not necessary and it even makes the sentence a bit less elegant. (Your rewrite suggests that you understand it clearly.) "That" doesn't really refer to the word "tale," alone. It refers to the entire notion "that the systems of the body are well adapted to their functions." |
| QUESTION |
| Does the word "mense" (not menses) have a possessive case? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Ontario, Canada Sun, Dec 20, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| That's an old Scottish word for honor or propriety. Since the word is long out of use (not even listed in my Oxford American Dictionary), I would have to guess that it would have a possessive, just as honor would have a possessive -- mense's |
| QUESTION |
| A group of people were debating whether there is such as word as "shortens." Some of of the people thought it was slang while others said it couldn't be used with a proper noun. Is it in fact a valid "word" (a verb in the present tense) or is it slang? How would you use it in a proper sentence? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Toronto, Canada Sun, Dec 20, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
I can't imagine what your friends meant when they said shortens couldn't be used with a proper noun. It's certainly a verb, meaning to make shorter, as in
The number of ads during a television show shortens the time available for the actors.Perhaps there are more elegant ways of saying the same thing -- "makes less time available" -- but there's nothing wrong with shortens. |
| QUESTION |
| Do you write have a nice and safe trip or do you write a nice and a safe trip? I guess my question is about the use of "AND" and "OR" regarding using articles and verbs with them. Do you use the verb or the article for the words before and after "and," or (do you have to) rewrite the same verb or article after "and"? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota Sun, Dec 20, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| What's wrong with "Have a nice, safe trip."? You would only have to repeat the article if, in fact, the article doesn't fit the second noun. "Have an unusual and a nice trip." In your question, you would want to repeat the verb (that you put in parentheses) because otherwise it is not clear what the preceding "or" (the one connecting the clauses) is connecting. |
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