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The Grammar Logs # 262 |
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| QUESTION |
What is the rule for using uncountable nouns with quantifiers/qualifiers?
e.g. Three liters of water ( is, are )......When can expressions of quantity use a singular or plural verb? Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Brunei  Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| If the expression of quantity is used to describe a sum, a lump, a singular quantity, we want a singular verb (which would describe the situation in your two examples). For instance, we would probably say that there is ten gallons of gas in your gas tank (because the gallons are no longer countable as separable units), but there are three gallons of milk (separate containers, we hope) in the back seat. |
| QUESTION |
| How can I identify if the word which follows a verb in a multi-word verb (look AFTER, put OFF) is a preposition or an adverb? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Mexico City, Mexico Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| It's probably a good idea to call that "second word" of a phrasal verb a particle, in part to distinguish it from the prepositions which introduce a prepositional phrase. When the preposition works as part of a phrase, it's obviously a preposition: "He turned up the street." But without that prepositional phrase, the particle is simply part of the phrasal verb: "We didn't invite him; he just turned up." The prepositional phrase, "up the street," tells us where he turned; it's modifying the verb, so it's behaving like an adverb. |
| QUESTION |
I feel there is something wrong with this paragraph regarding comma splices. Do you see anything wrong? If so, how can I fix it?
I barely remember the birth of my first daughter, Kaitlin, even though it was only two years ago. I spent fifteen hours heaving, breathing, and pushing with my eyes closed. I blocked out the whole event just so I could get through it. However, for the birth of my second daughter, I was fully alert and able to experience every emotion, every contraction, every poke, pinch, tear, rip and burn, and despite all the pain, I think I may have enjoyed it. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Brookings, Oregon Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| There are no comma splices in this paragraph. There's an awful lot crammed into that last sentence, however. I think I would put a period after "burn" and start a new sentence with "And" or leave out the "and" and begin a new sentence with "Despite" ("In spite of"?). (I would also put a comma after "rip," but that's up to you.) |
| QUESTION |
Which of the following is correct usage? - use of article `the' to refer universities
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Singapore Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In that case, we wouldn't use "the" at all. Frequently, though, when the word "university" precedes the name of the place where the university is located, we use "the." For instance, we could say that he graduated from the University of Washington, but we would say that she graduated from Washington University (no "the"), which is in St. Louis. We could say "He played basketball at the University of Indiana," but we would say that "She played basketball at Indiana University of Pennsylvania." I hope this response doesn't confuse you more than you already were. |
| QUESTION |
I have two questions:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Taipei, Taiwan Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| 1. I don't know why. We can can "We live in a suburb of Washington, D.C." But when we're speaking generically, we usually say, "We live in the suburbs." 2. If we said, "in the plane," that means that we're referring to something or someone within the physical structure of the airplane. For instance, if we were standing on the runway, looking for a co-worker, we might say, "Oh, I know where he is. He's in the plane." Generally, though, you're right: we say "She was on the plane." |
| QUESTION |
I'm correcting a written text that reads:... and administers check-up's for the animals...Now, I'm sure checkup is one word (as in examination) but I'm not so sure how the plural of checkup should be (just an -s or -'s). Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| To form the plural of "checkup," just add the pluralizing "s" -- no apostrophe is necessary. |
| QUESTION |
Which sentence is correct?
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Houston, Texas Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I would use "from." The "with" sounds like the copies are accompanied by the assistant -- like cream with your coffee. |
| QUESTION |
| Is "why'd" an acceptable contraction of "why did?" If not, is there an acceptable contraction of "why did?" Are there any general rules for developing contractions? Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Fairfax, Virginia Tue, Dec 1, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| In formal prose, contracting verb forms is generally regarded as a bad idea. In informal writing, "why'd" might pass as a contraction for "why did," but I wouldn't recommend it. The "'d" in "I'd," for example, is a contraction for "I would" or "I had," not "I did." In really casual writing, I'm sure it'd be fine. (How'd "it'd" suit you?) I doubt if there any rules for the development of contractions; they just come to be accepted ways of doing things -- or not. |
| QUESTION |
| What is the rule for using apostrophes with acronyms that end in the letter "s?" For instance, if I were talking about the employees at a company named LDS, would I use LDS' employees or LDS's employees? Does it depend on the underlying words in the acronym (e.g., Long Distance Services versus Local Drug Store)? Thanks! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada Wed, Dec 2, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| This may be a change from what I've said earlier on this matter, but I'm convinced that it's a good idea to use an apostrophe + s when forming the plurals of such acronyms -- simply to avoid confusion. So the plural of SOS would be SOS's. However, this means that the possessive of an acronym that ends in "s" would look the same as the plural. I would use LDS's employees, but better yet, I would write "employees of LDS." Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. p. 329. Cited with permission.
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| QUESTION |
| I am still confused about compound modifiers and noun
phrases or nouns with more than one modifier. I know
that "long-range plan" has a hyphen,
but does "long-range component plan"? Also, even though "non" as a prefix is usually joined to the rest of the word without a hyphen, is it acceptable to keep a hyphen for the sake of appearance? "tenant and non-tenant" rather than "tenant and nontenant" Finally, if a compound modifier is used frequently in a document in situations where a hyphen would both be and not be appropriate, is it acceptable to do without the hyphen altogether for the sake of consistency? I type military papers and the phrase "live-fire range" is used, as is "live-fire maneuver range" and "ranges that allow live fire." Sometimes both forms appear in the same sentence. I'm afraid our audience will think we just made a mistake. May we omit all of the hyphens? Thank you SO much! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado Wed, Dec 2, 1998
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| We use the hyphen in long-range plan so that our readers don't think we're talking about range plans that happen to be long. I think you're wise to keep it in the longer phrase. I don't think you need the hyphen in nontenant and I wouldn't introduce one in any case. There's a difference in form and function between "live-fire range" and "allowing live fire." It's like the difference between a ten-foot pole and a pole ten feet long. Eliminating all the hyphens will make things confusing. I suggest you get hold of a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style if hyphens are a constant source of worry for your kind of writing. Authority: Chicago Manual of Style 14th ed. U of Chicago P: Chicago. 1993. |
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