tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post4651649223723620709..comments2023-07-19T01:13:09.713-07:00Comments on Grammar Gang: Announcing the Owl & Possum Help NestThe Purdue and UniSA Connectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01873311749547093059noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-57481682920714634092014-07-17T20:22:32.314-07:002014-07-17T20:22:32.314-07:00Hello PalmBayProf
I'd probably say "It is...Hello PalmBayProf<br />I'd probably say "It is the most important decision of our lives", but I think "in our lives" is also fine. I did a Webcorp search (http://www.webcorp.org.uk/live/) and found plenty of examples of both. If I said "in our life" that might refer to one person, (i.e. "in anyone's life") while "in our lives" would definitely refer to more than one person. Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-34875431537899037652014-07-17T20:15:21.207-07:002014-07-17T20:15:21.207-07:00Anonymous
"Kinda" is spoken usage and &q...Anonymous<br />"Kinda" is spoken usage and "Kind of" is written, but as it's an informal way of speaking then I kinda think "kinda" is fine if you're trying to represent it in writing.Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-88550361449403829872014-07-17T20:14:13.744-07:002014-07-17T20:14:13.744-07:00Anonymous:
"They're" is short for &q...Anonymous:<br />"They're" is short for "They are", so that's the right answer. If you're not sure of shortened forms like this, try and work out what the longer form would be. That often helps us to find the answer quickly.Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-78992450684886633842014-07-17T20:12:42.049-07:002014-07-17T20:12:42.049-07:00Sue
I'm really glad you like the site. Another...Sue<br />I'm really glad you like the site. Another site you may like is the Englsh for Uni one, which also contains humorous videos: www.adelaide.edu.au/english-for-uniJulia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-53094892316038493032014-07-17T20:11:37.847-07:002014-07-17T20:11:37.847-07:00Hello Anon.
OWL is the online writing lab at Purdu...Hello Anon.<br />OWL is the online writing lab at Purdue University, and the possums are in Australia. We do try to answer questions, but our team is a bit depleted at the moment, and we're taking a while to answer questions, as you can see!Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-10270732884919109552014-06-25T09:37:04.774-07:002014-06-25T09:37:04.774-07:00Do you say:
a.) I kinda think this garlic is rott...Do you say:<br /><br />a.) I kinda think this garlic is rotten.<br /><br />OR<br /><br />b.) I kind of think this garlic is rotten.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-31394147607786604572014-06-05T13:43:44.974-07:002014-06-05T13:43:44.974-07:00I have a question:
Which quotation is correct:
&...I have a question:<br /><br />Which quotation is correct:<br /><br />"I love these cookies!" said Mary,"There so fresh, and gooey!"<br /><br />or<br /><br />"I love these cookies!" said Mary,"they're so fresh and gooey!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-18682154536462890412014-06-05T13:39:05.952-07:002014-06-05T13:39:05.952-07:00This site is awesome! I love it! It is so helpful,...This site is awesome! I love it! It is so helpful, and full of facts, I wish I could find more sites like this!<br /> -SueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-27896018635917618542014-06-05T13:14:18.407-07:002014-06-05T13:14:18.407-07:00Owl and Possum? Sounds pretty odd, but also pretty...Owl and Possum? Sounds pretty odd, but also pretty cool! So people just answer your questions about grammer here, or what?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-4566858573680563362014-06-03T16:28:25.863-07:002014-06-03T16:28:25.863-07:00Which of these sentences is correct?
It is the m...Which of these sentences is correct? <br /><br />It is the most important decision in our life. <br />It is the most important decision of our life.<br />It is the most important decision of our lives.<br />It is the most important decision in our lives.PalmBayProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01418707942633632249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-62148838440387340942014-05-30T04:44:44.402-07:002014-05-30T04:44:44.402-07:00That's a good question, and in fact both versi...That's a good question, and in fact both versions are correct:<br /><br />a) You helping us paint will mean a great deal.<br /><br />b) Your helping us paint will mean a great deal.<br /><br />a) could be rewritten as:<br />It means a great deal that you are helping us to paint.<br /><br />The second could be rewritten as:<br />b) Your help in the job of painting means a great deal.<br /><br />In (b) 'helping' is a gerund, which means it is a verb used as a noun, and the word 'your' is a possessive.<br /><br />I'll try and find a good explanation for (a) but I don't have one immediately to hand! Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-84212728698715788562014-05-26T05:30:33.986-07:002014-05-26T05:30:33.986-07:00Which is more correct--you helping us paint will m...Which is more correct--you helping us paint will mean a great deal, or your helping us paint will mean a great deal?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-67299942312130393622014-02-09T22:33:31.005-08:002014-02-09T22:33:31.005-08:00Dear Dutch
That's an important question. We of...Dear Dutch<br />That's an important question. We often mistakenly say 'Peter and me' went, but if you think about it, you couldn't say 'Me went'. When in doubt, therefore, remove the other subjects of the sentence (in this case Peter) and see how it sounds. The opposite case would be, 'This is for Peter and me'. In that case you need 'me', because you couldn't say 'This is for I'. I hope that's clear, but please ask us again if it isn't!Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-2258804658290325742014-01-16T09:48:09.849-08:002014-01-16T09:48:09.849-08:00I want to apologize in advance for this question, ...I want to apologize in advance for this question, but I have never received a good explanation from anyone on the proper way of saying this: "Peter and I went to the game." Should I be saying "Peter and me"?? I hear the "and me" a lot these days but was always raised to say "and I". Can anyone help me with this? I just found your site as a new student, and look forward to learning from it. Thanks -Unit47767https://www.blogger.com/profile/05988351789429883082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-51663570202153351952014-01-12T17:22:20.737-08:002014-01-12T17:22:20.737-08:00Hi Suzanne
The use of prepositions (words like ... Hi Suzanne<br />The use of prepositions (words like 'on' and 'in') is really interesting and really hard to explain. I'm doing some research on it at the moment, but the results won't be ready for a few months. I'll certainly do a post on this when the material is available.<br />It often depends whether you're thinking about the word before or after the preposition. For example, we 'participate in' something, but we are 'on a team'. I don't know if there's a rule to say which takes precedence, but if something sounds strange and I'm not sure why then I'd probably reword it and say 'I participate in team activities' or 'I am on a team', so that there is no clash.<br />There is a cognitive linguistic approach to this which suggests that there is an underlying meaning to our use of prepositions, and I want to investigate this further!Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-76470637053325113622014-01-08T11:58:22.616-08:002014-01-08T11:58:22.616-08:00A colleague and I are debating about the use of &q...A colleague and I are debating about the use of "in" vs. "on" when describing someone's participation (in/on) a team. As a native speaker, I don't always know *why* I use certain grammar - for instance you serve *in* the military, but serve *on* a board. Is there a rule that determines the difference, or is it more idiomatic? <br /><br />Could you help us settle the debate - do you participate (in or on) a team?Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00482672741051528414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-42165305088078905972013-11-25T16:51:19.183-08:002013-11-25T16:51:19.183-08:00Dear Anonymous
This might be a bit late to help wi...Dear Anonymous<br />This might be a bit late to help with your daughter's homework, but there are three things wrong with the sentence:<br /><br />texas is West of louisiana sayed mr hernadez who knows witch state is east of louisiana<br /><br />The things to fix are spelling, punctuation and use of capital letters. I wonder what the teacher said?<br /><br />Feel free to let us know.<br />JuliaJulia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-32542676024742341612013-11-25T16:46:35.972-08:002013-11-25T16:46:35.972-08:00That Law Court question is an interesting one. I w...That Law Court question is an interesting one. I would say that the sentence is correct, as two and one make three, so that's a total of three prerequisites. I agree it could sound a bit funny though, and it could be rewritten as 'two expressed prerequisites and one implied prerequisite' to make it sound less clumsy.<br />Does anyone else have a suggestion here? I'm happy to be corrected!<br />JuliaJulia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-65235202561377373082013-11-08T11:47:33.501-08:002013-11-08T11:47:33.501-08:00texas is West of louisiana sayed mr hernadez who k...texas is West of louisiana sayed mr hernadez who knows witch state is east of louisiana <br />what is wrong with this sentence i have not been in school in to long and my daughter has this sentence and is suppose to use editor keys and correct the sentence. Im lost help!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-63614291753862653132013-11-05T09:32:04.887-08:002013-11-05T09:32:04.887-08:00In the following sentence:
In Toomey, the Law Co...In the following sentence: <br />In Toomey, the Law Court construed the precursor to section 327, which contained nearly identical language, to establish two expressed and one implied prerequisites for application of the presumption. <br /><br />Should the word prerequisite be plural as written above or should it be singular to correspond to "one implied" which is closer to prerequisite in the sentence.<br /><br />thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-47729775663601190002013-10-21T22:18:56.523-07:002013-10-21T22:18:56.523-07:00Dear JMM
Thanks for your question:
is the phrase &...Dear JMM<br />Thanks for your question:<br />is the phrase "designed by an architect" passive voice or a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective?<br /><br />"The hall sat behind buildings designed by an architect."<br /><br />By function, it is an adjectival phrase qualifying the noun 'buildings'.<br />By form, it is a participial phrase.<br /><br />However, I have to admit that I prefer to see it as a shortened relative clause: "(which were/had been) designed by an architect". In that clause, "designed" is the past participle, and the clause uses the passive voice.<br /><br />I hope that answers your question, but if it doesn't then please feel free to write again!<br /><br />JuliaJulia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-21671887729962397072013-10-21T16:39:38.025-07:002013-10-21T16:39:38.025-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-59610984840762579092013-10-21T16:39:29.638-07:002013-10-21T16:39:29.638-07:00Hello Anonymous
I checked 'all-around' in ...Hello Anonymous<br />I checked 'all-around' in the Merriam-Webster dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-around), and the entry there suggests that you do need a hyphen but you don't need capital letters. <br />If your son's teacher is trying to emphasise the name of the competition rather than the type of competition, though, which your sentence suggests, I'd probably put: Ms. Johnson practices many hours a day for the Gymnastics All-Around Competition. It's a bit like the Under 15 Hurdles, where you're naming the actual race and so use capital letters, maybe to make it stand out more in the sentence. Please ask again, though, if this is not clear!<br />JuliaJulia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-35998731205428937622013-10-21T16:30:10.067-07:002013-10-21T16:30:10.067-07:00Thanks for your comment.
No, 'homeworks' i...Thanks for your comment.<br />No, 'homeworks' is not correct. 'Homework' is an uncountable noun, which means it cannot be made plural. You can have several pieces of homework, or you can have a lot of homework, but you can't have homeworks.Julia Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07212715483947336555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714518845507850015.post-80467118499713340412013-10-10T10:20:35.091-07:002013-10-10T10:20:35.091-07:00Dear Owl and Possum,
Question--in the following se...Dear Owl and Possum,<br />Question--in the following sentence, is the phrase "designed by an architect" passive voice or a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective?<br /><br />"The hall sat behind buildings designed by an architect."<br /><br />Would love some feedback on this question.<br />Thanks,<br />JMMJMMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10217144434743300699noreply@blogger.com