February 2005
This month, we're featuring your grammar and writing questions. Keep the questions coming!
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QUESTION: Okay, I've had it. There is a constant battle between our copywriter and me about the words "toward" and "towards." He uses the plural form and capitalizes it in a heading. I use the singular form and don't capitalize it in a heading. Is there a standard way of using this word? I thought prepositions were left uncapitalized in headings, but maybe I'm wrong. And I didn't think "towards" was even a word! Please help!
GRAMMARCHECK: Both "toward" and "towards" are actual words, the former used by speakers of American English and the latter preferred by speakers of British English. The lines are blurring between American and British English, however, so we recommend that you choose one or the other and use it consistently. The answer to your question about the capitalization of prepositions in headings is even less clear. Some sources recommend capitalizing heading prepositions only if they have five or more letters, others recommend capitalizing heading prepositions of four or more letters, while still others suggest that prepositions in headings should never be capitalized unless they begin or end the headline (all agree on this latter point). It looks as if you and the copywriter may need to compromise since you each have a case. Thanks for writing!
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QUESTION: Does the period at the end of a sentence go inside or outside the closing parenthesis in the following example?
Please attend our annual Technical and Exhibition Conference (TEC).
GRAMMARCHECK: The only time a sentence-ending period can be placed inside a closing parenthesis is when the entire sentence is enclosed within a set of parentheses--and then it only ends the sentence within the parentheses. The sentence you submitted above is correct. The following uses of periods and parentheses are correct, although the second one looks a bit awkward:
Please attend this month's meeting of the Advertising Community Council (ACC).
(Please attend this month's meeting of the Advertising Community Council (ACC).)
(Please attend this month's meeting.)
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QUESTION: Which is proper?
I clap very loud.
I clap very loudly.
GRAMMARCHECK: Both "loud" and "loudly" can be used as adverbs, and both mean the same thing, so each sentence is correct. Which is proper? "Loud" typically would be used in informal speech and writing, while "loudly" typically would be used in formal writing.
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QUESTION: Should I ever start a sentence with the word "And"?
GRAMMARCHECK: Although many people have been told by teachers that they should not begin a sentence with a conjunction (e.g., and, or, but, etc.), it's acceptable and grammatically correct to do so. However, if you start a sentence with a conjunction, you should ask yourself whether sentence combining may be more appropriate instead.
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QUESTION: Which one of the following is correct: skin-care, skincare, or skin care?
GRAMMARCHECK: Although you'll find "skincare" used in advertisements, its use is not considered standard English. Use the hyphenated "skin-care" as an adjective (e.g., skin-care products). Otherwise, use the compound noun "skin care." It's interesting to note that compound nouns (e.g., skin care) often become hyphenated (e.g., skin-care) after a time, and eventually end up as one word (e.g., skincare), so don't be surprised to see "skincare" used more frequently.
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QUESTION: Which one of the following is correct: mother-in-laws or mothers-in-law?
GRAMMARCHECK: Here's an easy way to remember the correct use of this term. When referring to one person, use the noun's singular form (e.g., mother-in-law or father-in-law). When referring to more than one person, use the noun's plural form (e.g., mothers-in-law or fathers-in-law). Adding an "s" to "law" in this case is incorrect. However, an "apostrophe-plus-s" may be added to indicate the possessive case:
My mother-in-law's one-day visit turned into a two-week stay.
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QUESTION: I am a sci-fi/fantasy writer with English as a second language, and I am looking for a readability assessment from an editor or astute English reader. Please take a look at my demo chapter, posted at [Web address] and let me know if I need editing, polishing, serious grammar help, or maybe all of it. Godspeed!
GRAMMARCHECK: At this time, GrammarCheck's editors do not analyze or edit written texts, but we can recommend that you check out the good folks at ProofreadNOW.com. They do a terrific job of editing!
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QUESTION: How do you know when to use the word "everyday" as opposed to "every day"?
GRAMMARCHECK: The word "everyday" is used only as an adjective that answers the question, "What kind?" The words "every day" are used as an expression of time that answers the question, "How often?"
Adjective: Going to Borders Bookstore became an everyday excursion.
[What kind of excursion? An everyday one.]
Time Expression: He went to Borders Bookstore every day.
[How often? Every day.)
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QUESTION: Is it correct to say "a historic district" or "an historic district"?
GRAMMARCHECK: In this case, you would use the word "a" to refer to historic. Why? Because the "h" in historic is pronounced. Use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound; use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound.
Examples:
an honor ("honor" begins with an "o" vowel sound)
a hippy ("hippy" begins with an "h" consonant sound; also notice how the letter "h" begins with an "a" vowel sound)
a union ("union" begins with a "y" consonant sound)
an umbrella ("umbrella" begins with a "u" vowel sound; also notice how the letter "u" begins with a "y" consonant sound)
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QUESTION: What does the word "amphibological" mean? How can it be used in a sentence? What is its root word? Does it have a prefix or suffix?
GRAMMARCHECK: It can be used as a synonym for "ambiguous" and comes from the root word "amphibole," referring to something with a double sense. We assume it can take the prefix "pre-" (pre-amphibological), referring to something's pre-ambiguous state. Likewise, it could take the suffix "-ly" (amphibologically). We came up with the following sentences that use some form of the word:
Why would anyone want to use such an amphibological term?
His pre-amphibological statement of intent was quite interesting.
You will find a large number of amphibologically-defined mathematical terms in the book.
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GRAMMARCHECK ARCHIVES
Read past issues of GrammarCheck on-line at http://www.GrammarCheck.com/archives/
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QUESTION: Which of the following sentences is correct?
It was agreed upon by the Committee and myself.
It was agreed upon by the Committee and me.
Would you have any objections to myself writing the article?
Would you have any objections to me writing the article?
GRAMMARCHECK: Welcome to GrammarCheck! How do we know you're a new subscriber? Because this topic was addressed in last month's issue. (That's okay. We're glad you asked and we're glad you joined our mailing list!) In our January 2005 edition, you can read the feature article "Referring to Yourself" at http://lists.topica.com/lists/grammar/read
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QUESTION: When writing numbers in an essay, what is the rule that separates writing out the number in words and writing it as a numerical sequence?
GRAMMARCHECK: No universally accepted rules exist, but we agree with the guidelines listed on the following Web page:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/numbers.htm
In general, write out numbers less than 10. Better yet, ask your teacher (or professor), or consult your preferred style guide.
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QUESTION: Which of the following sentences is correct?
If I were President, I would rule the world.
If I was President, I would rule the world.
GRAMMARCHECK: When referring to a hypothetical situation, use the subjunctive "were." The first sentence is correct.
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Our readers often share great ideas about writing and grammar. If you have a writing tip related to editing for style, e-mail it to grammar@grammarcheck.com. We'll print the best ones in next month's edition.
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QUESTION: What is the past tense of "logo" in the following sentence?
We've also learned that fans and alumni want a robust selection of logo'ed(?) merchandise.
GRAMMARCHECK: Using "logo" as an adjective to describe merchandise that has been stamped with a logo is new in the English language. We could find no "noun-into-adjective" rules that would apply to a word like "logo." We have found a few companies that refer to "logo'd" products.
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QUESTION: Which is correct?
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, by Shel Silverstein, is a great book.
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein is a great book.
GRAMMARCHECK: The first sentence is correct because "by Shel Silverstein" is a nonessential element. But which one of the following two sentences is correct?
Shel Silverstein's work WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS is a great book.
Shel Silverstein's work, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, is a great book.
The first sentence is correct because "WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS" is an essential element. Why? Because you wouldn't know which one of Silverstein's works is a great book without identifying the book's title. In this case, the title is an essential element, so commas should not be used to set it apart from the rest of the sentence.
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QUESTION: Should the name of a business be in quotes?
GRAMMARCHECK: The name of a business should be capitalized. It should not be italicized or placed between quotation marks.
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Have a question about grammar or writing? E-mail it to mailto:question@GrammarCheck.com.
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WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Each month we're featuring a Web site that provides on-line help with grammar and/or writing. Check out this month's featured site:
"GrammarStation."
http://www.GrammarStation.com/
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QUESTION: Please tell me how to determine the correct verb in the following sentences:
The number of people coming to the event [is/are] many.
Don't you think that 70 percent of the votes [is/are] going to be in our favor?
A large area of Malaysia and Indonesia [is/are/was/were] given for development.
Each and every one of you [have/has] received the brochure.
One of my friends [have/has] the flu.
GRAMMARCHECK: Whenever you have a subject noun followed by a prepositional phrase, the verb should modify the subject noun, not the object of the preposition, but that's not always the case. Let's take a look at each sentence individually and explain how we arrive at the correct answer.
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The number of people coming to the event IS many.
[When "number" is preceded by "the," "number" is singular and takes the singular verb "is." When "number" is preceded by "a," "number" is plural and takes a plural verb. However, can "the number" really be "many"? Numbers can be high, low, large, small, but we're not sold on the number being many.]
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Don't you think that 70 percent of the votes ARE going to be in our favor?
[When used in conjunction with a prepositional phrase, "percent" can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the object of the prepositional phrase. In this case, "votes" is plural so the plural verb "are" is used.]
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A large area of Malaysia and Indonesia IS [or WAS] given for development.
["Area" is always singular in number, so it takes the singular verb "is" (or "was").
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Each and every one of you HAS received the brochure.
[Both "each" and "one" are singular in number, so the singular verb "has" is correct.]
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One of my friends HAS the flu.
[Because "one" is singular, it takes the singular verb "has."]
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Many exceptions exist when the subject and predicate verb of a sentence are separated by a prepositional phrase. It's best to consult a good grammar handbook when in doubt.
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QUESTION: What is the correct use of the word "myriad"?
We have a myriad of problems to discuss.
We have myriads of problems to discuss.
GRAMMARCHECK: The word "myriad" is used only as an adjective, while "myriads" is used only as a noun.
Adjective: The myriad fish in the ocean are an important part of the ecosystem.
Noun: The myriads of fish in the ocean are an important part of the ecosystem.
Your second sentence uses a form of "myriad" correctly; the first sentence is incorrect.
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QUESTION: Which of the following sentences is correct?
He hung himself.
He hanged himself.
GRAMMARCHECK: The correct word to use is "hanged." Here's a good way to remember which word to use: Use a form of "hang" when referring to people. Use a form of "hung" when referring to things.
John Wilkes Booth was hanged by the neck.
The picture was hung with care.
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QUESTION: When typing degrees, such as DDS or MD, is it correct to place periods after each letter?
GRAMMARCHECK: It depends. Some publications require periods between each letter of an academic or professional degree (e.g., B.A., M.A., etc.). In other publications, abbreviated references to academic and professional degrees do not require the use of periods between each letter (e.g., DDS, MA, PhD). Consult the appropriate style guide to determine the correct punctuation to use.
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