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The Grammar Logs # 333 |
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| QUESTION |
| Payor Bank Services provide cash managers with information about their own institution's and customers' cash positions sooner so that they may make better investment decisions. Is the use of apostrophes correct? "Institution" is singular & "customers" is plural. Someone told me the 's on the word institution was unnecessary in this sentence. And yes, the sentence is somewhat long to begin with. Thank you |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Chicago, Illinois  Fri, Jul 9, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| This sentence should be taken behind the barn and shot. Payor Bank Services is a singular entity, I assume, and we need a singular verb, "provides," to go with it. The apostrophes are correct if the cash positions are two separable entities (which is, I think, the case); otherwise, you'd want "their institution and the customers' cash position." The "sooner" implies a comparison which is never made and the "they" is somewhat ambiguous (although the reader can figure it out). The sentence probably ought to be divided into at least two sentences. |
| QUESTION |
I'd like to know if my usage of "as evinced" in the sentence below is correct.
Exploration of the complexities of the mother/daughter relationship is hardly a new idea; it has intrigued women since the beginning of time, as evinced by historical art and literature.Thank you SO much for your help! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| San Francisco, California Fri, Jul 9, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You have used this five-dollar word correctly. However, a fifty-cent word such as "show," "demonstrate," or "reveal" would work just as well if not better. You probably mean "mother-daughter," not "mother/daughter" (the slash mark meaning "or"), and the phrase "historical art and literature" is probably not what you mean (it's not the same as "the history of art and literature"). Frankly, I'd leave off everything in this sentence after the semicolon. The claim that the relationship has intrigued women since the beginning of time is dubious at best: the history of art and literature simply doesn't go back that far. |
| QUESTION |
| When enclosing a list that has the abbreviation etc within parentheses, do you include the period after the abbreviation then close the parentheses and place the sentence period outside the parentheses? E.G. The life insured is someone other than a family head (e.g. child or business partner, etc.). I think it looks awkward this way but my boss disagrees. Please help! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Fri, Jul 9, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I think you're both right: it's correct, but it's clumsy. Can you throw in another example or two and then add "or other. . .."? (e.g. child, business partner, crazy uncle, deluded neighbor, or other ______).? |
| QUESTION |
| Hello, Thank you so much for your site! Is the following sentence correct? i.e. does the word shipment need to be plural or singular? Further, how do you use "any?" "Offer available on any express SHIPMENTS to Asia"All the best |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| New York, New York Thu, Jul 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Since you're using a fragment anyway (in a situation which seems to call for it), I'd leave out the "any": "Offer available on express shipments to Asia." I'm not sure that answers your question about any. . . . . |
| QUESTION |
| Say I'm writing a sentence with the phrase "...the athletes that play," should it actually be "...the athletes who play"? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Portland, Oregon Thu, Jul 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's my personal inclination to use "who" when I'm referring to people (a category that includes most athletes). However, the word that is perfectly acceptable in the situation you give us; in fact, many careful writers would prefer "that" over "who" in that phrase. |
| QUESTION |
Here are two sentences for a concept paper that I am drafting:
Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for an excellent tool for us not-so-recent college graduates. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| New Haven, Connecticut Thu, Jul 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In elementary education circles nowadays, they use the word "inclusion" instead of mainstreaming, but I'm not sure that's the word you want or that it would be an improvement. It sounds so "scientific" to me. Would "incorporation" be better? The first version you give us and the first sentence of the second version is so vague, though, that the sentiment seems quite unnecessary. With "time and support," anything could happen. Go to your second version, second sentence, change "this mainstreaming" to "the inclusion" and you've said enough. |
| QUESTION |
I can't find the rule/rationale about commas and quotes. The sentence is
With the ball in front of the student, say "Pick it up."I can't find much about this issue. One book says that there should be a comma after say: With the ball in front of the student, say, "Pick it up."It looks like too many commas. Which way is correct? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Seattle, Washington Thu, Jul 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
A comma is used to set off a direct quotation. So if this sentence said, With the ball in front of the student, John said, "Pick it up."we would definitely have a comma to set off the quotation. However, when the quoted language is the subject or object or complement of the sentence, we don't set it off with a comma.
Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission. p. 246.
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| QUESTION |
Hello!
Is it wrong to say ? -
Tim is very bad in writing letters.And the only correct preposition for this case is "at". Thank You. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Yerevan, Armenia Sat, Jul 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't think I've ever seen an explanation for this kind of thing, but the only preposition that works there is "at." We can say that someone is bad "in math," say, when we're referring to course-work, but when we refer to the activity, we say "bad at something." |
| QUESTION |
| Possessives of nouns that already end in 's. What is the possessive of a noun that already ends with an apostrophe s? For instance, a store might be named "Smith's Department Store" and referred to as simply "Smith's," especially in leagal writing in which we define our terms, for example: Smith's Department Store, Inc. ("Smith's") is located in Iowa.Now, I want to say the employee of Smith's. Is it "Smith's' employee" or simply "Smith's employee" ? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| New York, New York Sun, Jul 18, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Lots of brand names and corporate names out there are written as possessives: Smucker's (I had to do some research with strawberry preserves just now), and "Friendly's," for example. In the case of "Smith's Department Store," it's clear that the department store belongs to the Smith family—or to Joe Smith—and the same is true of Smucker's: a family named Smucker owns something—lots of jelly jars in this case. You would never want to form a clumsy double-possessive by writing "Smucker's's employees." The employees "belong to" Smucker's [corporation], so we'd simply write "Smucker's employees." |
| QUESTION |
| When can I use "as long as" in place of "if"? eg. "If it rains I'll take an umbrella" NOT "As long as it rains I'll take an umbrella." |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hastings, England Sun, Jul 18, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't know why you'd want to substitute "as long as" for "if." There could be an ambiguity with "as long as" because it can mean "during the whole time that" as well as "provided that." "As long as" also means "only if," so it's certainly not wrong in that sentence, but I'd stick with the simple "if." Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. Used with the permission of Oxford University Press.
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