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The Grammar Logs # 388 |
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| QUESTION |
Here's the sentence: This seemingly "little thing" has been passed down to the next generation.Is "seemingly" correct? Or would "seeming" be more accurate? Thanks for your help! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
Nashville, Tennessee  Wed, May 17, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "Seemingly" would be the appropriate adverb form to modify "little." Be careful of the word "seeming" because it can mean, also, "deceptive" with a hint of wickedness about it. You might also consider getting rid of the quotation marks around "little thing." |
| QUESTION |
| In the past when writing letters, I always used "in regards to..."
However, somewhere along the line I learned that was incorrect, and I should be writing
"in regard to." For example:
Dear Sir:I am very eager to learn the correct usage of this word as I believe the first example to be correct while my co-workers think I'm wrong. I do realize that there are occasions where "regards" is necessary. Thank you in advance for resolving this mystery! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota Wed, May 17, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| The construction "as regards" (where you're actually using the verb form) is regarded as acceptable (although I don't like it, personally), but in the constructions "in regard to" and "with regard to" the singular form of the word will suffice. 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 |
| To Grammar-- You have this question and answer: ------------------- Is 12:00am the same thing as midnight? Is 12:00pm the same thing as noon? Thank you!GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE Actually, it's the other way around. Midnight is part of the day which is just coming to an end; it's twelve post meridian (after mid-day, which starts after noon). So midnight is 12 p.m. and noon is 12 before mid-day because it belongs to the morning, not the afternoon. I hope this explanation hasn't completely confused you.------------------- I'd like to add something here. First, there are two OPPOSING conventions concerning AM and PM as used with 12:00. The military's convention is opposite to the civilian convention. Second, language must communicate simply and clearly with no ambiguity (and no need to memorize an obscure convention). Third, if this is communicated incorrectly, someone or something will be either 12 hours early or 12 hours late-- not a minor error in the real world. Therefore my rule is: don't use AM and PM with 12:00. Use "12 noon" and "12 midnight" or just noon and midnight. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| MMMMM Wed, May 17, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I wasn't aware of the military's convention in this regard, although I shouldn't be surprised that they've taken an interpretation that's different from the rest of the world. Thank you for the suggestion.
David Eason writes:
My knowledge and experience with the military consist of 20 years in the
U S Army, much of which was spent overseas. Military and international
times are second nature to me. |
| QUESTION |
This is the sentence I have:
This award allows the Customer Care Dept. an opportunity to recognize those in other departments that have displayed a willingness to go above and beyond in their efforts in providing excellent customer service.I don't know the best way to insert words like "whom". This award allows the Customer Care Dept. an opportunity to recognize those in other departments of whom have displayed a willingness to go above and beyond in their efforts in providing excellent customer service.Is this the appropriate use of the word "whom"? Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Vancouver, BC, Canada Fri, May 19, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
No, the "whom" doesn't fit there. You want "those in other departments who have
displayed. . . " Can you rewrite the beginning of that sentence to something simpler, like
With this award, the Customer Care Department recognizes employees in other departments who have. . . . |
| QUESTION |
I have a question about the comma usage in this sentence and am
unable to find out what is correct. Do I need a comma after real estate investments — or is
this sentence grammatically correct?
Faison Enterprises, Inc. is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based, private merchant bank with activities in commercial real estate investments and asset management, as well as private equity, venture capital and international investments.Thank you very much! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Charlotte, North Carolina Fri, May 19, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| No, you don't want a comma after "investments." The and is capable of connecting those two things all by itself. The list that follows the "as well" is then "attached" by the comma after "management." Most writing manuals would recommend a serial comma after "capital," but it is not required. |
| QUESTION |
| "It is very fun." This is neither an interesting nor acceptable sentence for written work in my class. What formal grammar rules, if any, dictate why 'very fun' is not commonly acceptable. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| West Lebanon, New Hampshire Fri, May 19, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I doubt if there are any formal rules against this construction. It's just, as you say, not very interesting, and when you try to intensify something that isn't very descriptive or interesting (with "very"), you get something that is even less interesting. (It's like math: when you multiply something negative by a positive, you end up with a bigger negative number.) Some people have trouble accepting "fun" as an adjective at all, but it is one. |
| QUESTION |
He allowed as how in 1970 it took 108 guys about five days to unload a timber ship.Could you explain me what are these two...`as how` and about five days...? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Seoul, South Korea Sat, May 20, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| "About five days" means simply approximately five days; it could have been a bit more, a bit less. "As how," though, is a dialectical substitute for "that," which has enjoyed some use in both England and in the U.S., but it probably has no place in standard written text. 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 |
| When writing the word "o'clock", would you ever write it: 7:00 o'clock or is it always "seven o'clock"? |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Imperial Beach, California Mon, May 22, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| When using the expression o'clock, write out the number, as in seven o'clock, and don't use a.m. or p.m. with it. (Signify whether it's a.m. or p.m. by other clues — "in the evening," etc.) Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. Cited with permission.
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| QUESTION |
I am an assistant editor for an International Trade Guide (and
depend on your web site for advice often). For the "United States," we use the abbreviation
"US" (no periods). When I'm writing the possessive of US would it be correct to
write "US's"?
An example would be: "In terms of total trade levels, Hungary is the US's most significant commercial partner in the region."It just doesn't seem correct! Thank you! |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Hightstown, New Jersey Mon, May 22, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| I wouldn't encourage using the abbreviation US for the United States, especially when you're using it as a noun or a possessive noun (as you do in that example). I'd write it out ("the United States' most significant. . . "), and use U.S. (with periods) as a non-possessive modifier ("the U.S. policy on armed intervention. . . "). If you really must use US (without periods), use it that way only as a modifier. Authority: New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage HarperCollins: New York. 1994. p. 335. Cited with permission.
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| QUESTION |
| Is the proper form year round, year 'round, or year around? For
example, "This medication must be taken monthly, year 'round." I've looked at the FAQs, the search engine, and references on aprostrophes, prepositions, abbreviations, and cliches to no avail. Unless they're covered in the search engine (I'm assuming they are) looking at the collected volumes seems too daunting! Thank you. |
| SOURCE OF QUESTION & DATE OF RESPONSE |
| Chicago, Illinois Tue, May 23, 2000
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| GRAMMAR'S RESPONSE |
| Burchfield says that in British English, you'd use "year round." In American English, you might use either "year around" or "year round." Forget the apostrophe, though, since the two words are equivalent variants. Burchfield notes that round and around are used about equally, and the only prescription for their use is how they sound to you. 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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