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The Grammar Logs # 287 |
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| QUESTION |
| Are "in behalf of" and "on behalf of" interchangeable? If not when is each appropriate? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Lynbrook, New York  Sat, Jan 30, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
This is what the online Merriam Webster's has to say about it: A body of opinion favors in with the "interest, benefit" sense of behalf and on with the "support, defense" sense. This distinction has been observed by some writers but overall has never had a sound basis in actual usage. In current British use, on behalf (of) has replaced in behalf (of); both are still used in American English, but the distinction is frequently not observed.Burchfield says that in British English, only "on behalf of" is used. Authority for this note: WWWebster Dictionary, the World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Used with permission. Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.
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| QUESTION |
Please help.
A group of Mary Pierce look-alikes (chant, chants) slogans during the match.Thanks in advance. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Taipei, Taiwan Sat, Jan 30, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The group is singular in this context, so it chants. |
| QUESTION |
How does one use an apostrophe when in conjunction with a roman numeral?
Example: The castle of James I...
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Orefield, Pennsylvania Sat, Jan 30, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Avoid the problem. Make sure we know, from context, which James you're talking about, and then use King James's castle. Or, better yet, use the prepositional phrase possessive: the castle of James I. |
| QUESTION |
| Is the word Olympics a concrete noun or an abstract noun? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Sat, Jan 30, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The concept of "abstract noun" is one of the least useful categories in grammar, it seems to me. I would think that olympic ideals might be an abstract noun, but the Olympics themselves are quite concrete. Those folks in Salt Lake City wouldn't have gotten in that much trouble over an abstract noun. |
| QUESTION |
| Please explain how to tell if a noun infinitive is the subject or the direct object. For example...What do you want to be when you grow up? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Schaumburg, Illinois Sat, Jan 30, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
In that sentence, the infinitive is the object of what you want. If it's the subject, it will be the doer or be-er of the sentence: To be rich and famous is all she ever thought about. |
| QUESTION |
Which is correct:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Calgary, Ontario, Canada Mon, Feb 1, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The subject is "books," which is plural, of course, so you want a plural verb, "are." However, it is conceivable that you are talking about the concept of Great Books (I believe there was even a famous series of such books published by Harvard or Oxford or some such prestigious university), and if you were talking about that idea (and not the books themselves, as countable items), you'd want a singular verb (but you'd also have to capitalize the subject, "Great Books"). I hope this doesn't unduly confuse you. |
| QUESTION |
Should we say :
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Parma, Italy Mon, Feb 1, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Your first option is the correct one. The "had I known" is a shortened version of "If I had known," and that is followed by an elliptical clause, "[that] my opinion would irritate you." |
| QUESTION |
| When writing a business letter, is it ALWAYS NECESSARY to put a colon after the "Dear whoever?" If you use a nickname here, "Dear QC", would you use a colon or a comma? Is there such a thing as a casual business letter, where a comma would be more appropriate? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Arlinton, Texas Mon, Feb 1, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I think a "casual business letter" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. If it's casual, it's no longer a business letter in the strict sense of the term; it's a casual letter written to a business acquaintance. Whether you can mix business and casualness that way I would leave up to you. The world of clerks and bosses would probably frown on the practice. I would recommend enclosing a separate, personal, note with the regular business correspondence. Sometimes I have seen formal correspondence in which the writer has stricken out the formal greeting with a pen and hand-written a more casual greeting. I guess that's OK, although it sort of makes the secretary look sloppy. |
| QUESTION |
| Should I say electric wire or electrical wire? Also, should I say electric charge or electrical charge? What actually is the difference between electric and electrical? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hong Kong Mon, Feb 1, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In the contexts you give us, there isn't much difference between electric and electrical. I would use electrical. You would want to be consistent within a document, of course, and you surely would want to be consistent with whatever is in vogue within a given field or journal or body of writing. Also, be aware that electric sometimes means exciting, so an electric performance is simply an exciting show, but an electrical performance would mean that it has something to do with electricity. |
| QUESTION |
I have two specific English grammar questions that I have not found the solution to yet.
Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Somewhere, Holland Mon, Feb 1, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I think we play something in a certain rhythm -- sometimes to a rhythm. And we immerse something in something else or we are immersed in something. It is not inconceivable that we try a certain tune, say, with a given rhythm, but in is surely more common. Immersing "into" seems somehow redundant. |
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