The
Grammar
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# 285

QUESTION
The way we use markers to introduce an opinion does not seem to be covered in texts ( but I am only a newbie to this).

I think, I believe, In my opinion give good simple introductions but can become repetitous and shallow for Intermediate and advanced students. I'm looking for some other markers to introduce one's own and others' opinion. Thanks

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Perth, Australia Tue, Jan 26, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
"According to such and such" is always a good one. Better yet, what if you eliminate the "I think" altogether? Most of the time, it is quite clear that an opinion is an opinion without saying it is; in fact, it merely waters down the opinion to be labeled as such. And "I think" and "I believe," after a while, have the effect of "this is just little ol' me talking." Ask your students to bravely assert their opinions and beliefs as if they were truth. An occasional "I think" can be a positive moment, but (as you point out) used too often, it dilutes the text.

QUESTION
Would I connect these sentences and how if so?
As they were conquered by Rome, other lands were forced to adopt the Roman standards for weights and measures. to allow for convenient trade between the parts of the empire.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Englewood, Colorado Tue, Jan 26, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Frankly, I think you're better off with two sentences: after "measure. This standardization allowed for convenient trade. . . " I suppose you could turn "to allow" to "thus allowing" or "thus encouraging" or "thus providing for," but I still think you're better off with two sentences.

QUESTION
Which sentence is correct, 1 or 2?
  1. He is already 29 years old but he just had the chicken pox.
  2. He is already 29 years old but he just had chicken pox.
I hope you can include an explanation on the error.

Thank you!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Tokyo, Japan Tue, Jan 26, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I wish I could explain it, but I'm afraid it's rather inexplicable. Many diseases never have a definite article: we don't say "the cancer" or "the tuberculosis" or "the diabetes" or "the diphtheria." But we do sometimes (but not always) say "the measles, the mumps, the chicken pox." If there's a distinction we can make between diabetes and chicken pox, I don't see it (speaking grammatically, not medically). You can say either "the chicken pox" or just "chicken pox" and be correct.

QUESTION
What is the difference between "to inoculate" and "to vaccinate"?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Stange, Norway Tue, Jan 26, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I could be wrong about this -- my dictionaries are not the best authority on such matters -- but I think that a vaccination involves the introduction of live or recently dead micro-organisms into a body so that the body develops a resistance to more virulent and lively forms of that micro-organism. This vaccination usually takes the form of an inoculation, or an injection under the skin, using a syringe, etc. But I think that a vaccination can take other forms, and an inoculation is not necessarily the introduction of a vaccine. For most people, the distinction is not important -- or at least they're not aware of its importance.

QUESTION
I read in a book:
"In economics, the conflict between division of labour and the inefficient monopolies it eventually creates has attracted much attention: if everybody is doing a different task, then nobody has the spur of competition."
Why does the author use "is doing" instead of 'does'?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Bonn, Germany Tue, Jan 26, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I'm not saying that "does" would not be correct, but "is doing" probably suggests better the notion that during the process of everyone doing a different task, the "spur of competition" is diminished.

QUESTION
Which forms of the subject and appositive are correct in the following sentences?
  1. Casey's, my stepbrother's, car was totalled.
  2. Casey's, my stepbrother, car was totalled.
  3. Casey, my stepbrother's, car was totalled.
Is it even possible to use an appositive in this sentence? Thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Fargo, North Dakota Wed, Jan 27, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I have pored through the indexes and pages of several reference manuals, and I can't find even a smidgeon of good advice about this construction. My first reaction is probably the best: avoid the problem with the "of construction" -- "the car of Casey, my stepbrother." The apostrophe with a restrictive appositive doesn't sound so bad: "The singer Mariah Carey's voice. . . ." But when you need the comma ("My favorite singer's, Mariah Carey's, voice. . . ."), it leads to a messiness that your sentence (or your stepbrother) won't recover from. [E-Mail Icon] I'll leave an e-mail icon here in case another user has some good advice for us.

QUESTION
I have a question about the plurals of words ending in "o" prededed by a consonant. How can I know the the plural must take "es" (tomatoes), when it must take "s" (memos) or when it may take either (buffalos, buffaloes)? Is there a rule or do I just have to know these words by memorization?

Thanks!!

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Stange, Norway Wed, Jan 27, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
There's no rule that I know of -- except that o-ending words from the world of music (mostly of Italian descent) are pluralized (when Anglicized) with only an "s": virtuosos, piccolos, bravos, concertos, sopranos. And that's true of most words ending in "o": stereos, ratios, zoos, hellos. (When the final "o" is preceded by another vowel, we usually add only an "s.") There is, however, a handful of words to which we add "-es," and those you'll just have to memorize: echoes, heroes, hoboes, tomatoes, potatoes. Just to make things worse, the plural of buffalo can be buffalos, buffaloes, or buffalo. God help us.

QUESTION
When "plus" is used with subject of a sentence, does this constitute a compound subjects? Does this have the same usage as coordinated conjunction "and"?
e.g. Life-long work plus dedication to craft (results, result) in one's dream of success.
Thanks for your help.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Taipei, Taiwan Wed, Jan 27, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It would have the same result as "and" in terms of verb choice, but it should be used only in quite informal writing and speech -- and probably not even then.

QUESTION
Which of the following is correct?
  1. Upon reviewing the report, I was pleased to see the importance of our contributions.
  2. Upon reviewing the report, I am pleased to see the importance of our contributions.
Thank you!
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Rochester, Washington Wed, Jan 27, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Since the participial modifier implies that your being pleased was occasioned by and during a past event (your review), the past tense is appropriate. You could make the modifier more "present" and thus make the present tense verb possible: "Having reviewed the report, I am pleased. . . ."

QUESTION
Can "mustn't" be used in past tense? Different dictionaries give different answers to that.
example: they told him that he mustn't go to the police.
The English teacher of my daughter corrected that to: ... he didn't have to go to ... , but that has a different connotation (at least imho)
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Berlin, Germany Wed, Jan 27, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Generally, we use "must" only in the present tense. We wouldn't say, for instance, "Yesterday, he mustn't go to the police." (We would say something like "He wasn't supposed to go to the police yesterday.") However, the reported speech implied by "told" makes this use of "mustn't" permissible (with all due respect to your daughter's teacher).

Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. p. 56. Used with permission.


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