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The Grammar Logs # 291 |
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| QUESTION |
| I understand the sentence "She made him a good husband." It is SVOC type. But the sentence "She made him a good wife." I feel this is SVOO type. But I I think it is also reasonable to consider-- "She made a good wife." (SVC) + "him (for him)" (as indirect objective)
Would you give me clear explanation? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Ohtsu, Shiga, Japan  Wed, Feb 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I'm not sure I understand your question entirely, but I agree with you -- that the "him" is an "indirect objective" and "a good wife" appears to be an object. Probably, however, the word "made" is acting as a linking verb here, and "a good wife" is technically a predicate noun. |
| QUESTION |
| A colleague likes to use i.e. and e.g., and I haven't been able to talk him out of it. If he uses a complete sentence after the "i.e.," or "e.g.," should that sentence be capitalized? Are there rules for capitalization after these two abbreviations? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| San Jose, California Wed, Feb 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Your colleague must be stopped. First of all, those abbreviations should be used only within parenthetical elements and then only as introductory modifiers which would be set off with commas. Your friend is much better off using English equivalents -- "for example" or "that is" or "namely"-- and working them into the regular flow of his text.
Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997. p. 550.
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| QUESTION |
| Using botanical names such as Crataegus oxyacantha. Do I put this in Italics throughout the paper or only until I define it? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Ann Arbor, Michigan Wed, Feb 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Set such names in italics wherever you use them. After the first use, you can use an abbreviation for the genus name: C. oxyacantha. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. p. 276. |
| QUESTION |
| Which of the following choices is correct? online, on-line, on line? For future reference, where does one get a definitive answer on the spelling of new words? Thanks much! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Foster City, California Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I just watched the e-mail discussion group for University Web Designers go through a considerable discussion of whether to capitalze Web or not. New words and phrases like this have to go through a considerable history before they fall into some kind of conventional spelling. Usually the progression is from two words to hyphenated form to non-hyphenated single word. I spell it online. Even after two or three major dictionaries agree on the spelling, a word can undergo transformation. Just be consistent. But spell e-mail with a hyphen -- because I said so. |
| QUESTION |
| What is the difference between ''relation'' and ''relationship''? When will we use these two words? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hong Kong Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| There are some situations in which there is no difference between those two words; at other times, the difference can be important. I recommend you review the online Merriam-Webster's definitions. You can talk about the relation/relationship of time and space, the relation/relationship among offices, etc. Be careful to avoid the possible suggestion of sexual "relationship" or "relations" when that meaning is not intended. 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 |
I recently read a sentence that seemed awkward. But I'm unable to explain why.
The sentence was about a formal policy that was not comprehensive. The sentence was:
"The policy needs enhancing."I don't like the use of "enhancing." But I can't find a grammar rule that tells me why the construction sounds strange. I realize that the sentence would be more forceful if it were active - "The board needs to enhance the policy." Thanks. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Denver, Colorado Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The use of a word that means "to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness" seems peculiar in that sentence. You're absolutely right about the active voice improving things, but we'd be better off saying that the board has to rewrite the policy -- or make it more comprehensive. |
| QUESTION |
| These men watched their contemporaries DIE in the wilderness. OR These men watched their contemporaries DYING in the wilderness.
Please briefly explain the reason for the answer. THANK YOU |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Tulsa, Oklahoma Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The word "die" suggests the event itself: they died. The word "dying" suggests the process, the event of their dying as it carried itself out. You would probably want the verb "die" unless you're really trying to stress the grimness of watching the agonizing process. "Contemporaries" sounds like a rather stuffy word there. |
| QUESTION |
| "At ______ High School we are committed to students' success in sports , character, and most important, in learning." Do I use "important" as in "what is most important is...", or do I use "importantly" as in committed most importantly? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
I think most people would use "importantly" there, but that doesn't mean it's right, of course. I don't think the word should modify the verb "committed" in that sentence. What you need is the adjective form, "important."![[E-Mail Icon]](../gif/email.gif){kind=small} If other users have a different opinion, they can share it with us by using the e-mail icon. Fowler notes that strong objections have been raised to either usage! (Maybe that means you can't win and you should try another way of saying it.)Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.
An alert reader sends us this note: |
| QUESTION |
Can you tell me if both of these sentences are acceptable, or if one is more acceptable than the other?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Apex, North Carolina Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The subject of the verb in question is "a lot of writers," and we would say "a lot of writers are eager to write," which must mean that "a lot of writers" is plural. You want "are" in that sentence. |
| QUESTION |
In the example below:
He owned a bookstore in Denver, and when he reached sixty, he put it up for sale.I have heard that it would be better to move the comma to set off the parenthetical thus: He owned a bookstore in Denver and, when he reached sixty, he put it up for sale.Is that acceptable, preferred, or a no-no? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Colorado Spring, Colorado Sat, Feb 20, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The writer of the second sentence has decided that he/she didn't need the comma after "Denver" to separate the two independent clauses (presumably because those clauses are so nicely balanced and relatively brief), but that it was a good idea to set off the parenthetical element "when he reached sixty." I concur. |
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