The
Grammar
Logs
# 305

QUESTION
With the animal 'mouse' the plural is 'mice.'

Is the plural of a computer 'mouse' mice too?

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Sturtevant, Wisconsin Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I sense that it goes against the grain for you to call those devices (in the plural) "mice"? I don't blame you. I've gotten so used to referring to the computer device as a "mouse" that I don't make the connection to the tiny mammal anymore, but when I have to pluralize with "mice," I get uncomfortable. Still, "mouses" just won't do and we can't go around talking about "more than one mouse." Use "mice" and eventually we'll get used to it.

QUESTION
Should this description be:
  1. basic civics facts
  2. basic civic's facts
  3. basic civic facts
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Syracuse, New York Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
"Civics facts." They are facts used in the study of civics, so they're civics facts. Or, if that sounds peculiar to you, you could use "basic facts in civics."

QUESTION
What is the correct form and punctuation for a declarative sentence ending with a question?
e.g. My question is should this have a question mark
Thanks.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Stillwater, Oklahoma Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Yes, you would write it this way:
My question is, should this have a question mark?
I've added some information on this to the section on Punctuation Marks Besides the Comma.

QUESTION
When do I use "this" and when "that"? Is it...
  • Her finger points at this house?
    or...
  • Her finger points at that house?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Linz, Austria Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The distinction between this and that is largely a matter of proximity. "This" book in my hands; "that" book over there, on the shelf. So with your examples, you'd use "this" if you were in the house, say, and someone outside pointed at the house you were in. If you were in a passing car and your friend, who is driving, pointed at a house, you'd say she pointed at "that" house.

QUESTION
I am not sure how to punctuate this sentence.
There are three females, myself and my two daughters Rebecca and Mikayla and two males my husband John and Buddy our dog.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Somewhere, Canada Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I can understand that. Using commas only creates a real mess. What about this?
There are three females -- myself and my two daughters, Rebecca and Mikayla -- and two males -- my husband, John, and Buddy, our dog.
I also tried it with a combination of colons, a semicolon, and commas and came up with something not quite as satisfactory:
There are three females: myself and my two daughters, Rebecca and Mikayla; and two males: my husband, John, and Buddy, our dog.
[E-Mail Icon]I'll leave an e-mail icon here in case other users would like to take a crack at this.

David Eason suggests the following renderings:

  • The three females are my two daughters and I, and the two males are my husband, John, and our dog, Buddy.
  • My two daughters and I are the three females, and my husband, John, and our dog, Buddy, are the two males.
  • . . ., and John, my husband, and Buddy, our dog, are the two males.
  • . . ., and the two males are John, my husband, and Buddy, our dog.

QUESTION
Hi, My students are curious about the "origin" of the word PERFECT in the tenses of verbs. Can you be of help in offering a definition or suggesting where I might find one. Is this word a derivative of a Latin word? Please help if you can. Thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
As I understand it, the term perfect, when applied to tenses, comes from the Latin perfectus, the past participle of a word that meant to carry out, or to finish, to perfect. Thus the perfect tenses are those that describe actions that are finished, perfected.

QUESTION
I have a question about the usage of "agree."
  1. I don't agree to enforce a law that prohibits smoking.
  2. I don't agree with enforcing a law that prohibits smoking.
I was taught by my teacher that (a) is wrong and (b) is right. Could you explain the reason?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Yokohama, Japan Fri, Apr 2, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The second sentence means that the notion of enforcing such a law doesn't suit you; you don't think it's a good policy. The first sentence means that you find it difficult (if not impossible) to carry out the enforcement of this law -- so you intend not to do it. (But we would probably say "I can't agree to enforce a law. . . .") I guess that means that I don't entirely agree with your instructor.

QUESTION
From today's New York Times (Education Life section 4-4-99) comes this sentence: But for a visitor more then twice the age of these students, the scene was also a reminder...(it goes on for another 39 words!)

My question has to do with the use of the word 'then'. It doesn't seem right in the sentence. Is it a grammatical oversight on The Times or do I need to go out and buy a basic English text?

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Nobleboro, Maine Sun, Apr 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It seems you've caught the Times with their editorial eye half-shut. You might need a basic English text—we all do—but you can teach the Times a thing or two about then and than!

QUESTION
I have a question about the proper tense sequence in these sentences: Which sentence is the right one in each of the pairings?
  1. I saw the hotel that my friends are staying at.
  2. I saw the hotel that my friends were staying at.
Which sentence is right if my friends are staying at the hotel at this very moment?
  1. If they knew what kind of driver you are, they would not have given you the car.
  2. If they knew what kind of driver you were, they would not have given you the car.
Also, could you please give me an explanation for which sentence is the best (perhaps there is a better way to phrase the same thought)?

Thanks

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Los Alamos, New Mexico Sun, Apr 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
If your friends are still staying at that hotel, then it's quite logical to mix the tenses here and say that you saw them at the hotel they are staying at. The second statement is made complex by the "if" clause: there is no reason to introduce the present tense here; the kind of driver you were at the time of their "knowing" is all that matters, so you want to use the past tense verb. See the section on Verb Tenses for further help.

Robert De Decker writes:
- Both sentences are incorrect. The correct version is: "If they had known what kind of driver you are/were, they would not have given you the car."


QUESTION
Hi Gramma,
I'm a German who's facing the challenge of translating his own work for a film that will be watched by Americans.

If I introduce a statement of a doctor who was the host of a conference, may I say:

Prof. X.X. hosted the A.D.T.S.A.S. conference on sleep breathing disorders?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Schifferstadt, Germany Sun, Apr 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I trust that your audience will know what ADTSAS means. I think most writers would want to put a hyphen between "sleep" and "breathing" to create sleep-breathing disorders. German has such a marvelous way of simply compounding words, but English frequently connects modifying words like this with hyphens.

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