The
Grammar
Logs
# 324

QUESTION
I've found the following sentence:
She saw empty glasses and knew that there had been visitors while she was out.
Should was above become had been? If it is correct as it is, would you explain why?

I'd appreciate your assistance. Thank you very much in advance.

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Unknown Fri, Jun 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
The "was" is OK. The "had been" establishes the notion that the visitors were there in a time frame that ended sometime before she returned.

QUESTION
I am wondering what the correct past tense of the verb plead is (pleaded or pled). What is the difference between the regular past tense form (pleaded) and the colloquial past tense form (pled)?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Clifton Park, New York Fri, Jun 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Burchfield says that "pled" is American and Scottish, but not British. In the U.S., apparently, either is acceptable. The dictionary lists "pleaded" first, which usually means it's regarded as preferable.

Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.


QUESTION
So great is the force exerted by tornadoes that they have been known to lift railroad locomotives off their tracks.

Why is there an inversion of the subject and the verb? So great is the force...

Thank you

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil Fri, Jun 4, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I don't know why, but there is frequently an inversion when a sentence begins with "so." "So intense was the coach in his half-time talk, that the team was late coming out for the second half." The "normal" order of that sentence would be "The coach was so intense in his half-time talk. . . ," but we begin with "so" in order to put additional focus on this particular element (here, "intense'; in your sentence, "so great").

QUESTION
I seem to remember that when you use a colon, the following word should be capitalized. Am I having a "senior moment"?
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
San Diego, California Sun, Jun 6, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
That might, in fact, have been true at one time, but now it depends on what follows the colon. There's really no reason to capitalize the word that follows a colon unless it's a proper noun (of course) or the beginning of a piece of quoted language that would naturally begin with a capital. Some writing manuals insist that when a complete sentence of any kind follows a colon it should begin with a capital letter; others say it shouldn't. So that's up to you as long as you're consistent.

Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. p. 263. Cited with permission.


QUESTION
I would like to know about Norman genitive. It is very dificult to find almost any explanation about Norman genitive. Grammar resorces mainly have explanation about saxon genitive, although the forms like 'friend of yours' are quite often in spoken english language.

Also what is correct :

  • book of teacher
    or
  • book of teacher's
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Wellington, New Zealand Sun, Jun 6, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I am not familiar with the term "Norman possessive," so I'll have to assume it refers to the English habit (similar to the French) of forming the possessive with the "of construction," especially when referring to inanimate objects: "the edge of the desk," "the color of the car," etc. There are many exceptions to that practice -- the "water's edge," the "heart's ambitions," etc. -- but it generally holds that we use the "of construction" to form the possessives of inanimate objects.

The double possessive -- "a friend of my mother's," "a friend of yours" -- is another matter. Burchfield describes it as an idiomatic (and completely acceptable) usage "equivalent to an appositive phrase." It is also useful in ambiguous situations where we must distinguish between "a photo of Dillinger" and "a photo of Dillinger's." Look up "double possessive" in Burchfield for further information.

[E-Mail Icon]I'll leave an e-mail icon here in case someone else can write in with information about the "Norman genitive."

Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.

David Eason adds this note:
When lecturing, I successfully make the point about the double possessive by pointing out that you don't say "He is a friend of me" or "He is a friend of my": You say "He is a friend of mine." Just because you use a noun --"He is a friend of my mother's"-- instead of a pronoun does not mean that you should eliminate the possessive.


QUESTION
I simply want to know if it is correct to say: this is Kevin Davis live on 101.3 the rock! E work in radio & we were told to always say "this" is Kevin .... is this the right way to refer to yourself? "This" & "that" are my question. how should they be used? E was told long ago, that "this" & "that" referred to things, not people! Could you clear this up? Thank you very much
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Abbeville, Louisiana Mon, Jun 7, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I'm not aware of any injunction against using "this" or "that," nowadays or in our ancient past, to refer to people. In fact, even in formal introductions we use that construction: "Dr. Moody, this is my best friend, Ellin; Ellin, this is Dr. Phineas Moody."

QUESTION
Is the word "Internet" capitalized?
EXAMPLE: She works primarily with high technology clients in the biotechnology, computer hardware and software, and Internet industries.
Thanks.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Boston, Massachusetts Mon, Jun 7, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It's listed as a capitalized word in the dictionary, but I don't know why. I have a feeling opinion is going to change on this word within the next few years and it will end up a lower-cased word. I'm sure you'll find it as "internet" within these documents (for what that's worth!). WWW is capitalized, of course, but website and web-page and home-page are not. You're going to find differences about opinion about such words until they get formalized by the natural process—which can take a few years.

QUESTION
"There are Bob Smith, Tom Jones, Bill Thomas, and, of course, Rich Edwards."

Does this sound funny? It's referring to a list of people who have something in common. Should it be "is" instead of "are"?

Thank You

SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Orlando, Florida Mon, Jun 7, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
It might sound funny, but "are" is correct. The subject(s) follows the verb with expletive constructions (There is/are; here is/are. . . .) and determines the number of the verb.

QUESTION
Is it correct to use the long "e" sound in "the" before a vowel or vowel sound, or has this rule been abolished. I hope not.
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Oak Lawn, Illinois Mon, Jun 7, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
I don't know if that "long 'e'" has ever been a rule exactly, but it's certainly one way to describe that sound. Personally, I think there's a difference between "thee," say and the "ee" I heard in "the apple, but not much. There's an even greater difference between the sound of "the [thuh ?] sound" and "the apple." No, nothing has happened to the proper pronunciation of "the" before a vowel.

Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996.


QUESTION
In the following question, is *son* an indirect object.
Mr. Lee opened a savings account for his son.
Thanks
SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE
Lake Havasu City, Arizona Mon, Jun 7, 1999
GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE
Not really. The indirect object usually comes between the verb and the real object of the sentence and it does not have "to" or "for" in front of it. "He gave his son a million dollars." "For his son" is a prepositional phrase describing the savings account.

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