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The Grammar Logs # 348 |
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| QUESTION |
| This is a query regarding the use of the word "regime". Is the following sentence incorrect? "Exfoliation must be a regular part of your daily skin care regime." Shouldn't the word used be "regimen"? This drives me NUTS. Please let me know. Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Allston, Massachusetts  Mon, Sep 13, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Personally, I'm on your side. I much prefer "regimen." However, according to Burchfield, regimen is sort of limited to the medical arena, and "Some doctors use regime instead," he adds without comment. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't stupid . . . . 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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| QUESTION |
| At a high school football game, after our opponents decidely were winning the game, I stated, "Well, the Rams revenged their loss against us last year." My sister says I'm wrong--"avenged" is the correct word. The dictionary shows avenge as a word that one uses "to take vengeance on behalf of." Revenge is for oneself. The pair of words is not listed as a confusable notable. Who is right? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Oak Hill, Virginia Tue, Sep 14, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| According to Burchfield, "avenge" more often suggests "punishing a person when one is vindicating someone else [other?] than oneself or is serving the ends of justice," whereas "revenge" more often applies to vindicating oneself, and usually suggests an evening up of scores or a personal satisfaction more than an achievement of justice." Burchfield then goes on to say that these distinctions are often unobserved even by very good writers. I hope that helps you more than it helps me. 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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| QUESTION |
| PLease help settle a bet - is "disregardless" a word? What about "irregardless"? Thank you for your expertise! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Austin, Texas Tue, Sep 14, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The answer to this will depend on your definitions of a word. If a word is anything you can write or say, then obviously both are words. "Disregardless," however, happens to be a word that probably appears in no dictionary. "Irregardless" will appear because many people use it; however, a decent dictionary will also suggest that "regardless" works just fine instead, thank you, and "irregardless" belongs on your vocabulary's trash heap. |
| QUESTION |
When writing an "official" letter, many writers would start using the following:
"I am writing to express ..........."I've been thinking why most people use the continuous here. Does the "ing" form indicate that the activity of writing is in progress (I see this explanation does not fit here)? or that it shows an intention of writing formed beforehand? Or it's just the sort of common practice to use continuous tense while writing official letters. If the opening is flexible, can I use "I write to express ....." instead? Thank you for your advice. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hong Kong Tue, Sep 14, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes, it has become a kind of "common practice" convention, but I wouldn't substitute "I write to express" for it. The "_ing" form nicely describes yourself (as writer) in the process of writing the note (as you write it); it's worth keeping. |
| QUESTION |
I've looked through your online files--which are excellent--and even took the WHO/WHOM quiz. But I'm sill confused.
My sentence is:
"My parents, neither of WHO/WHOM had a college education, did not want this to interfere with my schooling."I'm perplexed: can "neither" be the subject of this relative clause? If it is, I assume that WHOM is correct. If "neither" is not the subject, than I believe WHO is needed (to function as the subject of the clause.) I'm leaning towards WHO (neither HE nor SHE had a college education), but it looks/sounds wrong! thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Syracuse, New York Wed, Sep 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Your instincts about its looking wrong are correct. "Neither" is, indeed, the subject of that clause, and then the subject is modified by the prepositional phrase "of whom." (And since the pronoun "who" is the object of the prepostion, it needs to be in the "whom" form.) |
| QUESTION |
Just how wrong is it to say,
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Scotia, New York Wed, Sep 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Yes, there has been a change in this verb. In the nineteenth century, it would have been regarded as incorrect to say "Emily graduated from sixth grade." But that is the form that is now regarded as most acceptable. In the nineteenth century, "Emily graduated sixth grade" would have been the most approved form, but that form is not accepted now by most editors. Merriam-Webster's would say that all three are "standard." But it's my experience that you're much better off with the second version. Authority for this note: WWWebster Dictionary, the World Wide Web edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Used with permission. 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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| QUESTION |
Give these old coats to ____________ seems to need them most.
The correct response is "WHOEVER." [the quiz says]. How on earth could this be correct? Whom is used after preposition and you would also say give the coat to him or her not he or she. This was your # 9 question on forms of who. PLEASE RESPOND AND CORRECT ASAP |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Boca Raton, Florida Wed, Sep 15, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| No, "whoever" is correct. What you've got in this sentence is a clause — "whoever seems to need them most" — which also serves as the object of the preposition "of." So "whoever" has to serve as the subject of the clause before the entire clause can serve as the object of the preposition. I hope that explanation makes sense. The Longman handbook puts it more clearly: "You need to choose the appropriate form [who/whom, whoever/whomever] according to the role the pronoun plays within the relative clause. You need to ignore the role the clause plays within the sentence."
Authority: The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers by Chris M. Anson and Robert A. Schwegler. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.: New York. 1997. p. 224.
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| QUESTION |
| I have a dilemma. I never thought that commas were used in a certain situation until I went to a precollege program this summer. My professor said that a sentence like "He was happy because he received a gift." would be punctuated "He was happy, because he received a gift." My former high school English teacher thought that the comma before because in this situation is absurd. I think it is incorrect too. Do you use a comma in that situation. Thank you for answering my question. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fri, Sep 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The way out of your dilemma is clear: with all due respect to your precollege prof, ignore him or her (well, on this point anyway). There is no reason to put a comma before a "because clause." I can't this is always true, but it certainly is true of the kind of sentence you give us. The reason you're writing the sentence is to establish why this person is happy. There's no way that the information in the "because clause" can be regarded as parenthetical or added information. |
| QUESTION |
We are still confused regarding the correct selection of the following:
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| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Phoenix, Arizona Fri, Sep 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Many writers will argue that an "h-word" in which the stress does not fall on the first syllable should be preceded by "an." Thus we would say "A HIStory book," but we would say "AN hisTORical moment." Other writers (including the editors of the NYPL Writer's Guide) will say that's outdated nonsense and that "historical" is an "h-word" and ought to be preceded by "a," regardless. How's that for an answer that doesn't really help clarify anything. Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. p. 188. Cited with permission.
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| QUESTION |
| When and why is the use of the "phrase" you/me (as in Believe you/me) proper. It sounds like someone is just trying to be fancy. Thanks |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Phoenix, Arizona Fri, Sep 17, 1999
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Burchfield calls "Believe you me" condescending, but I don't see anything condescending about it. It's a relatively new construction, apparently — 1926, according to Burchfield. It's simply a phrase that insists that the speaker is to be believed; it probably didn't make much of an impression in 1926 and it still doesn't. 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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