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The Grammar Logs # 338 |
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| QUESTION |
What would the verb be in this sentence and why?
Checking, VISA, the BCM electronic bill payment plan, and the nest egg (are, is) quite handy.What is that rule about the verb agreeing with the closest noun to it? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Nashville, Tennessee  Fri, Aug 6, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Choosing the correct verb in this situation has nothing to do with which subject is closest to the verb. (Perhaps you're thinking of subjects connected by or?) In the situation you give us, you're clearly thinking of several things and you need a plural verb, "are." I don't know if "handy" is the best word to describe all these things, but it was probably the handiest. |
| QUESTION |
I wrote:
"In either case, the trainer would be myself or James."I was told that I should have used "me" instead of "myself". Which is correct? Thank you! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Unknown Fri, Aug 6, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
Whether you use "me" or "myself," put James first. Some writers will insist that where "me" is possible, always use "me" instead of "myself." Burchfield, however, would call a sentence like In either case, the trainer would be James or myself."beyond reproach." Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. (under myself). Used with the permission of Oxford University Press.
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| QUESTION |
Which is correct?
The rocks of the Piedmont are/is one of the Nation's most reliable aquifers for small yields ...My inclination is to recast the sentence to ....Piedmont are among the Nation's.... Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Nashville, Tennessee Fri, Aug 6, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Sometimes it sounds weird when a plural subject ("rocks") "equals" a singular predicate ("one"). Nonetheless, the subject is "rocks" and that demands a plural verb, "are." I think your inclination to recast the sentence is a good one. |
| QUESTION |
If you'd like to emphasize something as important, which is the correct phrase to use: "more important" or "more importantly"?
For example, "He is a person with talent and drive. More important[ly], he is a person with integrity."Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| New York, New York Fri, Aug 6, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| According to Burchfield, "more importantly" (as a whole-sentence modifier) was not favorably regarded during the 1970s and 80s, but nowadays it is widely regarded as being often interchangeable with "more important." I would still use "more important," myself. Authority: The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W. Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. (under importantly) Used with the permission of Oxford University Press.
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| QUESTION |
I am always confused about when to add a comma when using introductions in a sentence.
Example:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Jacksonville, Florida Fri, Aug 6, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| That's one of the most difficult to apply rules among the Rules for Commas Usage. It depends on how the comma (or the lack of it) affects the readability of the sentence. Generally, if you don't need it (the comma), don't use it. I would definitely use it in your first example, but I probably wouldn't in the second example (although it wouldn't be wrong there, either). Good luck. |
| QUESTION |
What is the correct indirect for the sentence:
She said, "Would that my father were alive."Please explain, with rules. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Somewhere, Pakistan Sun, Aug 8, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
![[E-Mail Icon]](../gif/email.gif){kind=small} I don't know if it's possible to say that sentence indirectly, but I'll leave an e-mail icon here in case someone else can come up with something.
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| QUESTION |
I've seen in a film the expression "You should treat me good".
Which one is correct and why?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Sao Paulo, Brazil Sun, Aug 8, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I think you will hear "treat ____ good" in informal speech (or even "She treats him real good."), but the verb, meaning "bear oneself toward," calls for an adverb, as in "the teacher treated her students harshly." We want "well" in your example. Authority for this note: WWWebster Dictionary, the World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Used with permission. |
| QUESTION |
I'd like to know which one of these is the correct sentence and why
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Curitiba, Brazil Sun, Aug 8, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't think there is an appropropriate tag question for that statement—because there is no appropriate pronoun to refer to "everybody." I'm afraid you'll have to repeat the indefinite pronoun: "Everybody is here, isn't everybody?" If I had to choose between the options you give, though, I would definitely choose the first—because the "aren't they" at least makes logical sense and the third-person plural is often regarded, even by copy-editors, as a reasonable substitute for those gender-specific third-person singular pronouns that don't work very well. |
| QUESTION |
Can you tell me, which one is better?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Somewhere, Pennsylvania Sun, Aug 8, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The second is a huge improvement. You don't want your victims to practice falling during the 1950s; they can fall any time they want to. The second sentence eliminates that absurd ambiguity. |
| QUESTION |
| What is the plural of "lb."? Is it "lb." or "lbs."? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Chamblee, Georgia Sun, Aug 8, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The plural of an abbreviation for a unit of measure is the same as the singular. You want "lb" (without the period). We put a period after such a measurement abbreviation only after "in." (because it can be confused with the preposition "in"). |
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