June 2005
PUNCTUATION AND QUOTATION MARKS
Last month, one of our readers asked us to "explain the applicable rules regarding the placement of question marks, colons, semicolons, and exclamation marks before or after quotation marks." With thanks to Patricia, one of our subscribers from Brazil, we're happy to feature this topic in this month's edition of GrammarCheck.
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Rule #1: Place colons and semicolons outside (or after) quotation marks.
Examples:
Mark said that she seemed "frail and sickly"; what else was I supposed think?
My daughter brought me the following list of required "camping items": sleeping bag, pillow, bug spray, and three changes of clothing.
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Rule #2: Place question marks, dashes, and exclamation points inside (or before) question marks if they are part of the quoted text.
Original Quoted Text: "Stop immediately!"
Example: "Stop immediately!" shouted the police officer.
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Original Quoted Text: "But I didn't--"
Example: "But I didn't--" she hesitated, afraid of their reaction.
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Original Quoted Text: "How was your summer vacation?"
Example: "How was your summer vacation?" he asked.
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Rule #3: Place question marks, dashes, and exclamation points outside (or after) quotation marks if they are NOT part of the quoted text.
Original Quoted Text: "Some people think you are vain," Michelle whispered to him.
Example: I couldn't believe that she called me "vain"!
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Original Quoted Text: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Example: One of my favorite lines of poetry--"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"--also happens to be the title of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
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Original Quoted Text: "Mr. Bojangles" (title of a song)
Example: Did you hear her sing "Mr. Bojangles"?
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ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S PRACTICE EXERCISES
Indicate whether the following sentences are correct or incorrect. If a sentence contains one or more errors, rewrite it and correct the error(s).
1. The hamburgers, which were topped with catsup and relish, could not have been made at a McDonald's restaurant.
If all the hamburgers to which this sentence refers are topped with catsup and relish, then the sentence is correct because deleting the adjective clause ("which were topped with catsup and relish") would not change the sentence's meaning.
The rule: Use "which" at the beginning of nonrestrictive adjective clauses and set off with commas.
However, if there are a lot of hamburgers and only some of them were topped with catsup and relish, then the sentence is incorrect because the adjective clause provides essential information that, if deleted, would change the sentence's meaning. Why is the information essential? Since McDonald's does not top its hamburgers with relish, only those hamburgers that were topped with relish could NOT have been made at McDonald's.
The rule: Use "that" (or "which") at the beginning of restrictive adjective clauses and do not set off with commas.
Correction: The hamburgers that were topped with catsup and relish could not have been made at a McDonald's restaurant.
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2. Boston is the lucky city, which won the World Series last year.
This sentence is incorrect because deleting the adjective clause ("which won the World Series last year") changes the sentence's meaning. In this sentence, Boston is a lucky city for one specific reason--it won the World Series last year.
The rule: Use "that" (or "which") at the beginning of restrictive adjective clauses and do not set off with commas.
Correction: Boston is the lucky city that won the World Series last year.
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3. He hosted a party that featured two popular rock bands.
This sentence is correct because the adjective clause ("that featured two popular rock bands") provides essential information. He didn't host just any party. He hosted a particular kind of party, one that featured two popular rock bands.
The rule: Use "that" (or "which") at the beginning of restrictive adjective clauses and do not set off with commas.
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4. I made a bad decision, which I must live with for the rest of my life.
This sentence is incorrect because the adjective clause ("which I must live with for the rest of my life"), if deleted, would change the sentence's meaning. The person didn't make just any kind of bad decision. The decision was so bad that he or she must live with it for a lifetime.
The rule: Use "that" (or "which") at the beginning of restrictive adjective clauses and do not set off with commas.
Correction: I made a bad decision that I must live with for the rest of my life.
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QUESTION: What is the correct way to say firstly, secondly, and so forth?
GRAMMARCHECK: We believe the following guideline by E. B. White is applicable here: "Do not dress words up by adding 'ly' to them, as though putting a hat on a horse" (from Strunk and White's THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, 1959). Although adding "ly" to first, second, third, and so forth is technically correct, one should ask if it's necessary when it comes to good style. After all, if you're writing a large list of items and begin with firstly, would you eventually write "seventeenthly," "eighteenthly," and so forth?
If you prefer to add "ly" to each number in a list, however, make sure the numbers are parallel in structure. That is, don't add "ly" to some of the numbers but not to others. We prefer to follow White's guideline and avoid adding the "ly."
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QUESTION: Is it correct to say, "And because of that, any decisions related to real estate become important."
GRAMMARCHECK: This sentence is correct since "any" can refer to a singular or plural noun. We suggest that you avoid the use of "that" without its referent, however, since readers may not understand what "that" refers to.
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QUESTION: Which one of the following sentences is correct:
Seven years later, I am even more proud of you.
Seven years later, I am even prouder of you.
GRAMMARCHECK: A comparative is a special type of adjective that involves "comparison." In general, when forming a comparative, follow these general guidelines:
1. Add "er" to one-syllable adjectives. (Example: tall/taller)
2. Add "ier" and delete the "y" to two-syllable adjectives that end in "y." (Example: happy/happier)
3. Add "r" to one-syllabus adjectives that end with a vowel. (Example: nice/nicer)
4. Use "more" with adjectives of three or more syllables. (Example: beautiful/more beautiful)
Exceptions to these guidelines do exist, so consult a dictionary for the correct comparative to use.
Regarding the two sentences in question: the comparative of "proud" is "prouder," so the second sentence is correct. We should mention, however, that the use of "more proud" is quite common in informal settings.
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QUESTION: In terms of comparatives, which one of the following two sentences is correct:
Kevin is taller than I.
Kevin is taller than me.
GRAMMARCHECK: When a comparative is followed by "than" and a subject pronoun, the pronoun serves as the subject of an omitted (but inferred) verb. Add the omitted verb to the end of the sentence to determine the correct pronoun to use.
Example:
Kevin is taller than I [am].
Kevin is taller than me [am].
Obviously, the first sentence is correct. Thanks for writing!
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GRAMMAR IN THE WILD
Welcome to our newest monthly feature--Grammar in the Wild. Each month, we'll present examples of printed texts we've come across that contain one or more grammatical errors. This month, we found two examples.
1. "Please limit your garments to 6 or less in the dressing room."
This sentence was printed on a sign next to the dressing rooms of a large (and well-known) discount department store. The problem: Garments are "countable" items, and "less" should be used with "noncountable" nouns.
Correction: "Please limit your garments to 6 or fewer in the dressing room."
2. "Bathing suits can only be returned if they have a protective liner and a reciept Per health dept."
This sentence was found posted under the sign mentioned above. Three problems are present:
a. "Reciept" should be spelled "receipt" (Remember: "I" before "E" except after "C" and when pronounced as an "A" as in neighbor or weigh).
b. "Per" should not be capitalized.
c. The word "the" should be placed before "health dept."
Correction: "Bathing suits can only be returned if they have a protective liner and a receipt per the health department."
Better: "Bathing suits can only be returned if they have a protective liner and a receipt per health department regulations."
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QUESTION: Please note the following sentence that appeared in your "That vs. Which" edition for May:
Pratt and Whitney in Dallas, Texas, HAS been notified of the possible warranty and HAS notified their warranty group.
I see a pronoun disagreement in the use of "their," which should be "it," referring to the singular company name PRATT AND WHITNEY. Do you agree? (Richard, Grammar Instructor)
QUESTION: Hello. Good newsletter, as always. Good advice about the corporate singular (which is fast disappearing in British English) but did your eagle eyes miss "has notified their"? An uncomfortable clash, surely? Better, in my view, would be "has notified its." Best wishes, Paul (United Kingdom)
COMMENT: There is another grammatical problem with the sentence presented by Jason in your May 2005 e-mail newsletter. Since Pratt and Whitney is a company name and is considered singular, it requires a singular verb. However, any pronouns referring to Pratt and Whitney also should be singular and neuter in gender. (Carol)
GRAMMARCHECK: Last month a reader asked whether he should use HAVE or HAS in the sentence. We were so focused on addressing the reason behind using the singular HAS that we didn't notice the pronoun disagreement. Indeed, since PRATT AND WHITNEY functioned as a singular noun in this sentence, the singular ITS should have been used when referring to the company's warranty group. But we also want to note the fascinating history of the singular "their" and how some grammarians are calling for its return.
In short, the plural "their" was established by 18th century grammarians as "correct" English. Prior to that time, the singular "their" was acceptable and was used by some of history's greatest writers, including William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. Today, the singular "their" continues to be used frequently in spoken language, even by highly educated people, and some educators consider its use as acceptable in most types of writing.
Although we have caught ourselves using "their" as a singular pronoun when speaking--and often catch our colleagues and friends using it as well in their spoken language--we're not ready to concede the use of "their" as a singular pronoun in written language.
If one refers to a company name as a singular noun, the correct singular pronoun should be "its":
Example: [The company known as] Pratt and Whitney in Dallas, Texas, has been notified of the possible warranty and has notified its warranty group.
If one refers to a company name as a plural noun, the correct singular pronoun should be "their":
Example: [The people at] Pratt and Whitney in Dallas, Texas, have been notified of the possible warranty and have notified their warranty group.
Not all grammarians agree with us, however. Two of our consultants wrote the following:
"We believe the sentence should stand as it is--'their' can certainly refer to a company with the understanding that it's really the company's people--as in '[the people at] Pratt and Whitney sold their plans to Boeing.'"
It's possible that future generations will bring back "their" as a singular pronoun since English, like all modern languages, is in a state of flux. Thanks for writing, Richard, Paul, and Carol!
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QUESTION: I have been told that the following sentence has a dangling modifier because the heroine is not set in the Midwest:
"Set in the Midwest, the heroine is a riverboat casino owner with three grown children."
I have tried to fix the problem by making two sentences, but is there a better way? (Sandy)
GRAMMARCHECK: Welcome to GrammarCheck, Sandy! The heroine cannot be "set" in the Midwest because "set," in this case, refers to the setting of, for instance, a book or play in a specific place. If you're writing about a novel, the novel would be set in the Midwest. The following sentence would eliminate the dangling modifier:
"Set in the Midwest, the novel features a heroine who is a riverboat casino owner with three grown children."
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WORD OF THE MONTH
"Blandishment" (BLAN-dish-muhnt) noun
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Speech or action that flatters and tends to coax, entice, or persuade; allurement--often used in the plural.
Example: John's blandishments were beyond belief.
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Words, pronunciations, and definitions courtesy of Dictionary.com, Copyright 2005, Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Visit http://www.Dictionary.com for all your on-line dictionary and thesaurus needs.
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QUESTION: What is the proper way to express "dos" and "don'ts"?
GRAMMARCHECK: The plural of "do" may be written as "do's" or "dos." We prefer "do's" since "dos" could be mistaken for the name of a once-popular operating system. Your plural spelling of "don't" is correct.
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QUESTION: Is the following sentence correct?
Thank you for being a valued customer, we appreciate your business with us.
Should it be two separate sentences or is it okay to separate them with a comma?
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for writing! The first example in question is incorrect because a comma should not be used to separate sentences (unless it's used with a coordinating conjunction). Doing so results in what's referred to as a "comma splice." Comma splices are considered a serious sentence structure error by most experts.
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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 sentence is correct?
Who shall we ask to the party?
Whom shall we ask to the party?
GRAMMARCHECK: Here's a simple test that will help you to answer the question. Substitute "She" (or "He") for "Who" or "Whom." If it makes sense, use "Who." If it doesn't make sense, use "Whom."
Example: Who [or Whom?] shall we ask to the party?
"She shall we ask to the party" doesn't make sense, so "Whom" should be used.
Example: Who [or Whom?] wrote the best-selling book?
"She wrote the best-selling book" makes sense, so "Who" should be used.
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QUESTION: Occasionally I find myself writing "that that" together in a sentence. For example, "Did you know that that is an awkward way to describe something?" What do you call this construction? Is it correct or should I substitute something else? Best regards, Bill.
GRAMMARCHECK: Greetings, Bill. We're not aware of a specific name given to "that that," which merely refers to the use of "that" as a conjunction followed immediately by "that" as a pronoun. Its use is not incorrect, but it does read (and sound) awkward. When writing, we avoid using "this" or "that" without its referent.
Original: Did you know that that is an awkward way to describe something?
Revised: Did you know that MIMING (OR "PANTOMIMING") is an awkward way to describe something?
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WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Each month we feature a Web site that provides on-line help with grammar and/or writing. Check out this month's site:
"The Elements of Style"
http://orwell.ru/library/others/style/index.htm
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QUESTION: Is it correct to use the adverb "currently" when referring to situations that occurred in the past? For example, would it be correct to state the following sentence: "Back in the Middle Ages, the Romanians were currently being invaded by the Magyars."
GRAMMARCHECK: We can't think of any context that would permit the use of "currently" (referring to the present) in a sentence that begins with "Back" (referring to the past).
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QUESTION: How do you correctly punctuate a sentence that ends with an abbreviation?
Should it end with one period?
Example: They bought lots of sweets, chocolates, candy, etc.
Or should it end with two periods?
Example: They bought lots of sweets, chocolates, candy, etc..
Thank you for your help. Kind regards, Carolyn.
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for sending your question to us, Carolyn. Two end marks are never placed together in English. The example with one period is correct.
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That's it for this month. Thanks for subscribing to GrammarCheck. See you in July!