FAQ ngữ phápAnnotated Bibliographies? docx

FAQ ngữ pháp

Annotated Bibliographies?

[Click on Section-"Annotated Bibliographies."]Annotated Bibliographies

Apostrophes?

"(Purposes of apostrophe.) People unaccustomed to writing sometimes tend

to drop in an apostrophe at the drop of a hat. One ad touts azalea's; another

speaks of a closeout of diamond's; and still another says it is time to select

your sandle's (by which is supposedly meant sandals). In each instance the

apostrophe is not only superfluous, but also wrong. The apostrophe is used

for three purposes: to indicate the omission of one or more letters (can't,

don't) or figures (the spirit of '76); to indicate the possessive case (Tom's

dog); and to indicate the plurals of letters (there are two m's in

accommodate), figures (B-52's) and sometimes words....

Is it Womens Day program or Women's Day program--should one use the

possessive apostrophe? The answer is yes, use the apostrophe. The

apostrophe is dropped these days in some instances in which the plural is

indicated by a final s--for example, Teachers College, Citizens Union,

Doctors Hospital. But when the plural is indicated without any final s--as it

is in women or men--the apostrophe plus the s is necessary.

....One news article said, 'Commander Brant, a lawyer with 11 years service

in the Navy, declined to comment.' Another said, 'He had had three hours

sleep and innumerable telephone calls during the night at his home in

Jamaica, Queens.' Those phrases--11 years service and three hours sleep--

should be in the possessive case or more aptly, since there is no real

possession involved, the genitive case. Therefore they should be rendered

with apostrophes: 11 years' service and three hours' sleep" (Bernstein,

Theodore. Dos, Don'ts & Maybes of English Usage 19-20, 171).

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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_apost.html

As per...?

The Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage says the following:

"We find as per used in two ways. It is still in use in business

correspondence and in straightforward but somewhat stiff prose similar to

such correspondence.... Your decision to use as per or not would seem to be

a matter of personal choice and taste; the tonal needs of a particular passage

may make it useful at times even if you avoid it ordinarily" (133).

Assume or presume?

According to Patricia O'Conner, author of Woe Is I, "They're not identical.

Assume is closer to suppose, or "take for granted'; the much stronger

presume is closer to believe, dare, or 'take too much for granted.' I can only

assume you are joking when you presume to call yourself a plumber!" (90-

91).

Bad or badly?

We use bad (an adjective) with linking verbs such as is, seems, feels, looks,

or appears. Example: "I feel bad that I missed the concert." We use the

adverb badly with action verbs. Example: "The new car steers badly." "I

feel badly" means my sense of touch is impaired. "He smells badly" means

he can't detect the smell of his girlfriend's perfume, but "He smells bad"

means he needs to shower and use deodorant.

Between you and I or between you and me?

According to The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, "Because

the pronouns following between are objects of the preposition, the correct

phrase is between you and me. Yet the phrasing between you and I is

appallingly common--'a grammatical error of unsurpassable grossness,' as

one commentator puts it (41). The Careful Writer notes that "Most of those

who say or write between you and I, Shakespeare excepted, are guilty of

overrefinement. They have been corrected when they used 'It is me" or

'You and me ought to get together,' and have become gun-shy about the

word "me." In addition they are confused because the word 'you' is the same

in the objective case as it is in the nominative; therefore, although they

would not dream of saying or writing between him and they or between her

and we or between us and she, the phrase between you and I does not sound

bad to them. But bad it is, and indefensible grammatically. Between is a

preposition and it is followed by the objective case: me. To say between you

and I is a needless, pointless, and ignorant exception to a good rule" (74).

Bring and take?

According to Theodore Bernstein, author of Dos, Dont's, & Maybes of the

English Language. "Bring and take both involve direction when they denote

physical movement: bring means movement in the direction of the speaker

or writer, take means movement away from the speaker or writer.... When no

physical movement is involved, bring may properly be used in the sense of

produce as a result: 'The President's message is expected to bring the whole

issue to a climax'" (32). Patricia O'Connor, author of Woe Is I, asks, "Which

way is the merchandise moving? Is it coming or going? If it's coming here,

someone's bringing it. If it's going there, someone's taking it. ( 'Bring me my

slippers,' said Rhoda, 'and take away those stiletto heels!' ) That much is

pretty straightforward, but there are gray areas where the bringing and the

taking aren't so clear. Say you're a dinner guest and you decide to tote a

bottle of wine along with you. Do you bring it or do you take it? The answer

depends on your perspective--on which end of the journey you're talking

about, the origin or the destination. 'What shall I bring, white or red?' you

ask the host. 'Bring red,' he replies. ( Both you and he are speaking of the

wine from the point of view of its destination--the host. ) Ten minutes later,

you're asking the wine merchant, 'What should I take, a Burgundy or a

Bordeaux?' 'Take this one' she says. ( Both you and she are speaking of the

wine from the point of view of its origin. ) Clear? If not, pour yourself a

glass, take it easy, and say what sounds most natural. You'll probably be

right" (93).

Can I or may I?

"Can implies ability: 'Can you (are you able to) lift that heavy box? May

denotes permission: 'May I (Have I permission to) swim in your pool?'"

(Parle-Craig and Vincent Hopper. Barron's 1001 Pitfalls in English

Grammar 71)

Cannot or Can Not?

According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, "Both

spellings are acceptable, but cannot is more frequent in current use.

Chambers 1985 insists that cannot must be used in British English unless the

not is to receive particular emphasis. A couple of American sources (Oxford

American Dictionary 1980, Trimble 1975) mention that the two-word form

can be used to indicate special emphasis.... "Can you jump? I can not, says

the sergeant" (219).

Capitalization: all the rules?

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_caps.html

Capitalization in titles?

"In titles, capitalize the first word, the last word, and all words in between

except articles (a, an, and the), prepositions under five letters (in, of, to), and

coordinating conjunctions (and, but). These rules apply to titles of long,

short, and partial works as well as your own papers" (Anson, Schwegler, and

Muth. The Longman Writer's Companion 240).

Capitalization of titles of persons?

"Capitalize titles of persons when used as part of a proper name but usually

not when used alone.

District Attorney Marshall was reprimanded...

The district attorney was elected for a two-year term.

Usage varies when the title of an important public figure is used alone. The

president [or President] vetoed the bill" (Hacker, Diana. A Writer's

Reference 291).

Cite or Site?

Cite is a verb meaning "to quote for purposes of example, authority, or

proof." Example: "He cites many experts in his article." Site is usually used

as a noun meaning "place or scene." Example: "Check the AARP website,"

and "We erected the wall on the site of our future home."

Colon Use?

Use a colon to introduce an explanation, example, list, or quotation. The

colon used this way must be preceded by an independent clause, a clause

which contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete

sentence. An explanation or example can be a single word,a phrase,or a

clause: Examples: "She has but one goal:success." "One task remains: to

script the final project." "The financial agreement put a block between

defense and education: No [no] money was to be transferred between the

two." When the second of two independent clauses explains, elaborates, or

illustrates the first, you may use a colon to join the clauses. Example: "Our