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The Grammar Logs # 254 |
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| QUESTION |
| When should I use the word "what?" When is it proper to use "which?" For example, would it be ok to say, "Which car are we going to use?" Would it be ok to say, "What car are we going to use?" "Which" sounds better to me, but would "what" be ok, too? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Slinger, Wisconsin  Thu, Nov 12, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
The interrogative pronoun what implies a choice from an unlimited number of options; which implies a choice from a restricted number of options. The answer to a which question is apt to be more specific than the answer to a what question. What cars do you like? Oh, Fords and Buicks are nice. Authority: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. p. 107. Used with permission.
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| QUESTION |
| If I want to use a phrase that means "this autobiography written by(about) me",
which is right, "this autobiography of me" or "this autobiography of mine"?
In addition, how about "this autobiography of myself"?
does "this autobiography of mine" mean merely "this autobiography that i possess"? Like "a picture of my father's" & "a picture of my father" show.......... |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Seoul, Korea Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "This autobiography of mine" probably means a story of my life, which I have written. Except that all these phrases feel vaguely redundant. What's wrong with "my autobiography"? There is a difference between "a picture of my father's," which refers to a picture in your father's possession, and "a picture of my father," which refers to a picture (photograph, drawing) of your father. |
| QUESTION |
| I need help with words ending in s or es |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Atlanta, Georgia Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| See the section on Plurals and get back to us if you still have questions. |
| QUESTION |
Please help with the use of commas in the following sentence:
Despite the horrific odor, I could find nothing to account for it, until with a sinking heart, I opened the freezer.I really want to keep the comma between "heart" and "freezer," but that leaves me with the necessity of a comma after "until," which seems like too many commas. I thank you! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| San Francisco, California Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
If this were my sentence, I would regard "with a sinking heart" as a parenthetical element -- which means that I would keep your comma after "odor," and there would be a comma after "until" and one after "heart." I am not too keen on the logic of this sentence, though (in spite of something, I could not account for this something?). Wouldn't a sentence like this be better? I could find nothing to account for the horrific odor until, with a sinking heart, I opened the freezer.If you want a dramatic pause after "odor," you could, in fact, use a dash there. |
| QUESTION |
| The computer term "Universal Resource Locater" is commonly abbreviated as URL. If you refer to URL in a sentence, do you use "a URL" or "an URL"? Can you also send me what the current accepted rules regarding "a" and "an" ? Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The dictionaries haven't decided yet if this is to be pronounced the same as the name Earl or as a series of three letters -- u*r*l. I pronounce it "earl," myself, and so I write "an URL" because the word begins with a vowel sound (like "an ugly duck"). If you say it U*R*L, though, you'll want to write "a URL" because that series of letters begins with a "yoo" sound (like "a uniform"). |
| QUESTION |
Which sentence is correct?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Houston, Texas Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Wouldn't it make sense to compare the levels of activity? (I don't know much about astatine, as you can probably tell.) In this construction, it is quite common to find an inverted sentence order in the second element of the comparison. ". . . had a higher level of activity than did the catalyst with helium." |
| QUESTION |
| Please send the rule for the use of the comma when writing an either - or sentence. Comma before or? Example: The program can either display the plots to the screen (comma here?) or print to paper or viewgraph. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Laurel, Maryland Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't think there is such a thing as a single, simple rule in "either-or" sentences. In this sentence, since the first conjunction "or" is only connecting two parts of a compound predicate ("display the plots" or "print to paper"), a comma is not called for. (The second "or" is connecting two objects of the preposition "to.") |
| QUESTION |
Does a comma between Accounting and contrary belong in this sentence: "Orders for new customers are sometimes entered, manufactured and shipped before a credit application is received in Accounting, contrary to Pratt Industries credit policy." |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Conyers, Georgia Fri, Nov 13, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes, that sentence takes quite a turn right there, and a comma would be quite appropriate. For an even greater break in the line of thought, a dash would also be acceptable, in my opinion. |
| QUESTION |
| I am looking for lists of words that have been used on recent SAT exams. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Indianapolis, Indiana Sat, Nov 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| You mean words such as prescient, omnivorous, nefarious? I doubt if you can find a such a list for recent exams on the WWW; I would imagine that's somehow under copyright. The ETS people might very well sell such a document for test preparation purposes, however. If you do a search on the internet for SAT Vocabulary tests, you'll find a number of websites purporting to provide practice quizzes, etc., but I don't know where they get their words. |
| QUESTION |
Is the following sentence grammatical? "Either's costume may win the prize."Note, too, that "Either" is not the name of an individual. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Summit, New Jersey Sat, Nov 14, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I don't know if it's wrong, exactly, but I think most writers would use "Either one's costume. . ." or "Either child's costume. . ." or "Either costume. . . ." |
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