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The Grammar Logs # 293 |
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| QUESTION |
| My boss thinks that if you have a conditional clause, e.g. an "if" clause, that the independent clause following the "if" clause has to start with the word "then". He contends that where there is an "if" there is a "then". I noted that in none of your examples in your Conditional Clauses section, did the word "then" start off the independent clause. Please let me know if my boss is right or wrong and why. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Atlanta, Georgia  Wed, Feb 24, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't follow what your boss is saying about conditional clauses and "if." It's not necessary to follow an "if" with a "then," however: "If Charlie goes out without a coat and hat, he's bound to catch a cold." In a compound sentence, it's probably a mistake to begin a second independent clause with "then." That's bound to lead to a comma splice -- or worse. But I don't think that's related to what your boss is saying. |
| QUESTION |
| Is it "compared to" or "compared with"? Also, placement of certain adverbs and modifiers; for example, is it "risk could be substantially reduced" or "risk could be reduced substantially"? Another example: "We might then be unable to reinvest the proceeds" or "We then might be unable to reinvest the proceeds"? Also, where does "also" go ("we will also issue" or "we also will issue")? I think you see where I'm headed; which is preferable: split compound verbs such as "will be" or precede them with the modifier? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| San Dimas, California Wed, Feb 24, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| When you are representing things as being similar or likened one to another, use "to." When pointing out similarities or differences, you can use either "to" or "with." In British English, you would always use "with" when using the verb in an intransitive manner: "This ice cream compares favorably with home-made products." Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. Unless it creates an unambiguity, adverbs can be slippery devils, appearing in a number of places quite satisfactorily. In your last example, though, you see a danger. Do you mean that "we, too, will issue. . . ." (possible if the "also" follows immediately the "we," or do you mean that "we will issue in addition to doing other things"? (possible if the "also" is embedded within the verb string. You have to make sure the adverb is modfying the correct thing; if there's no possibility of being misunderstood, the adverb's placement can be surprisingly flexible. |
| QUESTION |
I know what active and passive voices are now but I don't understand how to use them, like what would be the active and passive voices of the sentence She fell hard on the ice.I don't get it. Can you help me? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Barrington, Illiois Wed, Feb 24, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You can't have a passive construction of that sentence because the verb is intransitive (i.e., it doesn't take an object). The passive voice is used when the subject is acted upon: "She was hit in the eye by the snowball." (instead of the active voice: "The snowball hit her in the eye.") |
| QUESTION |
In the sentence: "I ride horseback every Saturday."what part of the sentence is "every Saturday"? Would you call this a modifier? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Miami, Florida Wed, Feb 24, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes, it tells how often you ride, so it's an adverbial modifier. The word "every" is a determiner, modifying "Saturday." You could think of it, also, as a kind of prepositional phrase with the preposition "on" omitted -- but it would work the same way, as an adverb. |
| QUESTION |
I used a sentence similar to this one on one of my worksheets and it has our department stumped.
Shelly always gets lost in the mall.'Lost' is an adjective, so it can't be the direct object, and 'get' is not a linking verb, so 'lost' cannot be a predicate adjective. My question is just what the heck is 'lost' in that sentence? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Huntsville, Alabama Wed, Feb 24, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The OED dedicates several pages to this little word "get." You could think of "lost" as an adverb, saying it modifies the verb "get," but I prefer to think of "get" as a linking verb (in spite of your warning that it isn't), sort of like "becomes." In that case, "lost" is a predicate adjective, which makes more sense to me than calling it an adverb. I think it's also safe to consider "get lost" as an idiomatic phrasal verb. Usually phrasal verbs consist of verbs and prepositions, but there must be other combinations like this that create verbs unto themselves. I think I've waffled enough on this one so we're both utterly confused -- at least I am. |
| QUESTION |
| Had a dispute with a friend. I said, "I have a cold. I usually feel worse at night." She indicated that it should be "worst,", not "worse." I replied, "worst" may be used appropriately as follows:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Bethesda, Maryland Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Worse" is the comparative form of "bad," "worst" the superlative. So if you're comparing how you feel at night to how you feel during the day, you want to say you feel "worse at night." If you bring this up again, however, you might feel worse yet. |
| QUESTION |
| Please could you explain "ponderous nouns". Why ponderous? and why nouns? I know it is words that end in tion, ment and ence. However, where does the noun part come in, isn't difference a Verb? Is differ a noun? Any light on this matter would be most welcome. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Pickering, Ontario, Canada Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I have never heard that phrase before, "ponderous nouns." I think of elephants and hippos wallowing in muck and devouring whatever adjectives and adverbs they can stuff into their verbless maws. Be that as it may, I think it must refer to the process of nominalization, the process by which a verb becomes a noun and thus often becomes an abstract and vague idea as opposed to an action. Thus, "the difference between us is that" conveys considerably less weight and precision than "We differ from others in our. . .." The governor's opposition has less punch than "The governor opposes," etc. I would recommend Joseph Williams's book on nominalization (see below). Of course, I could be wrong, and ponderous nouns could just refer to overweight beasts. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity & Grace by Joseph M. Williams. 3rd Edition. Scott, Foresman & Co.: Boston. 1981.
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| QUESTION |
| Hello, My question is: What are the degrees of comparison of the word "Free"? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| St. Petersburg, Russia Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Freer and freest. If you can't get beyond how weird those words look, you could use "more free" and "most free." |
| QUESTION |
Hope you can answer this...
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Dunmore, Pennsylvania Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It makes sense to me that that the name you have when you're born is the name you die with -- regardless of what happens to your progenitors. However, I see in the Chicago Manual of Style that under an older system of name suffixes, the son would take on the father's suffix when the father passes away. Thus upon the demise of the eldest John in the family, John III becomes John Jr. and John Jr. gets promoted to John Sr., etc. Nowadays, I think, Jr. is Jr. forever, even unto death. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. p. 307. |
| QUESTION |
| Can you give me an example of a sentence with an introductory present participle phrase and a gerund as a direct object? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Thu, Feb 25, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
How about this?
HIKING back and forth between Birmingham and Boulder every day, Josiah regarded such WALKING as more than exercise; it was a way of life.You didn't say it had to be a good sentence. |
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