I've been thinking for a while that it might be useful to have a thread where people can ask questions about the English language - spelling, grammar, punctuation and things like that. After getting the thumbs-up for this idea on the "Down Crack" thread, I've decided to give it a go. Also, if anyone has questions about specific texts they are studying at school, people who've read them might be able to help out with those, too.
I'll get things started with a quick explanation about something that confuses lots of people (English or otherwise) - the apostrophe (').
Apostrophes have two main functions:
1. to show that letters have been left out of a word
2. to show that something belongs to someone or something.
They should never be used for plurals, so writing something like "I love animal's" would be wrong.
Here are some examples with the correct usage:
It's raining.
I'm feeling fine.
He's very silly.
They've moved house.
The apostrophes are there to show that the writer means "It is...", "I am...", "He is..." and "They have...".
Incidentally, when writing about decades, we don't need an apostrophe, because no letters have been left out:
The 1980s
That's simple enough, now for the more tricky part.
When we want to say that something belongs to someone or something, we write an apostrophe after the owner, and add the letter 's':
The dog's bone. (One dog owns the bone.) John's house.
If the person or thing ends with the letter 's', or we want to talk about something with more than one owner, it's common to put an apostrophe after it, and not to add another 's':
James' football. The dogs' bone. (More than one dog owns the bone.)
We always put the apostrophe after the owner, so in the two doggy examples above, in the first one the owner is "the dog", in the second the owner is "the dogs".
Still with me? OK. Now for the confusing part - the word "its". How do we know whether to write "it's" or "its"?
The answer is that we only use "it's" when we mean "it is". If you want to talk about something that is owned by something else, use "its":
Every rose has its thorn. The dog was playing with its bone.
Right, I hope that's been useful for somebody. For now, bring on the questions...
salam
bro czgibson can you check this out for me? what can i do to improve it? or can you try and adjust errors or improvement for me?
jazakallah bro
wasalam
I can only give you general advice, since I already have quite a lot of marking to do, and also because I'm not sure what exactly what your teacher has asked for.
I have to say it's a brilliant story, with some great ideas. I particularly liked the way you described your expensive phone before introducing the beggar as a contrast - it works very well. When I first read it, I was thinking "Why is he talking about his phone?" but then it became clear and I thought "Very clever!"
You use some excellent vocabulary - "congested", "oblivious", "egotism". I also liked the comment on the rich man's exhaust fumes destroying the ozone layer (although you don't need capital letters for that).
Ways to improve:
1. With quotes for direct speech, always use a new paragraph for a new speaker.
2. Sometimes you repeat words a little too much - for example, in the paragraph about your phone, we have these sentences:
I got my phone out and checked if it was my mobile that was ringing. It wasn’t my mobile.
The words "mobile" and "phone" appear many times in that paragraph, so you should look to see if you could cut any of them out. Perhaps like this:
I got my phone out to see if it was ringing, but it wasn't.
That sentence is a little flat, so maybe you could liven it up by using an English idiom, like this:
I got my phone out to see if it was me that was ringing - it wasn't.
OK, that's all I have time for I'm afraid - but overall, very well done!
salam
thank you bro, if you could add anymore comments i would appreciate it, my courswork is to transform one genre to another
so i am transforming a poem on poverty in to a story of real life expereince
wasalam
Professor Gibson? Can I call you that for short? Well ok. In my English Class we've been going over DLP (daily language practices) and we've been going over sentence fragments, commas, vocabulary, and even Punctuation. Can you reinforce the differnce between a semi-colon, and a comma? When or when not to use it?
Ha ha!! I'm not a professor, although I think I'd like to be one day.
Can you reinforce the differnce between a semi-colon, and a comma?
(A simple answer is that a semi-colon is used for a slightly longer pause than that indicated by a comma.)
It's difficult to give a cast-iron rule on when to use semi-colons and when to use commas; these things often vary according to personal preference.
For instance, in that last sentence, I used a semi-colon, because the two parts of the sentence could have been individual sentences by themselves. Since their meaning is connected, though, I decided to use a semi-colon. Others might have chosen to use a dash (-), or to write two separate sentences.
Semi-colons are also used in lists sometimes. Normally, people use commas to separate items in a list. When some of the items in a list actually contain commas, it's best to use semi-colons to avoid confusion, like this:
He has been accused of the following crimes: stealing money from his brother, whom he never got on with; driving an unlicensed vehicle, which was stolen anyway; and frightening lizards in winter, which, as everyone knows, is totally unacceptable.
Sorry about the silly example, but you get the idea.
Hope that helps. For advice on when to use commas, see the wikipedia entry that I linked to earlier. It does a better job of explaining their many different uses than I could!
wow..kool...i love english...oh well..i luv all languages...i'd luv to get some lessons on grammar...with all the slang going on...wat abt learning new words??...jus a suggestion...
FiAmanillah
IF only i were a BIRD!!..aahh..but eating caterpillars???...:enough!:
Ha ha!! I'm not a professor, although I think I'd like to be one day.
Oh? Is that so? It is hard to believe you are not a professor
For instance, in that last sentence, I used a semi-colon, because the two parts of the sentence could have been individual sentences by themselves. Since their meaning is connected, though, I decided to use a semi-colon. Others might have chosen to use a dash (-), or to write two separate sentences.
I think 'dashes' applies only when one has an interrupted thought right in the middle of the sentence therefore they would apply the dash.
He has been accused of the following crimes: stealing money from his brother, whom he never got on with; driving an unlicensed vehicle, which was stolen anyway; and frightening lizards in winter, which, as everyone knows, is totally unacceptable.
This example is kind of confusing because it appears as if you were creating a pattern between the semi-colon and the commas. Is it that one can use either or? A semi-colon or a comma? Although I can understand why you had put the colon because you were writing a list of things.
Sorry about the silly example, but you get the idea.
No, it's ok. Also, are are you good with vocabulary words? The reason why I ask is because I don't know the meaning of some of them.
Hope that helps. For advice on when to use commas, see the wikipedia entry that I linked to earlier. It does a better job of explaining their many different uses than I could!
Peace
Why go all the way to wikipedia when we can learn from you right here? :eek: I think you are doing a marvolous job.
is the book "The Davinci Code" based on a true story??
Nah. It's mostly fiction based on pure conjecture. But it sells because hey, it's hip to diss religion now. Silly superficial readers. They should read a good book like Malcolm X's autobiography or anything by Edgar Allen Poe. They won't though, since they won't know who the former is, and will think the latter is a Telletubby.
I think 'dashes' applies only when one has an interrupted thought right in the middle of the sentence therefore they would apply the dash.
You're right - that's one use for dashes, but there are others. In that last sentence, for example, I used a dash to show that the following thought is connected to "You're right", but something like a comma would look a bit strange (to me, at least). As I said, uses for different items of punctuation are often personal to a particular writer. The writer William S. Burroughs uses dashes all over the place, whereas others hardly use them at all.
This example is kind of confusing because it appears as if you were creating a pattern between the semi-colon and the commas. Is it that one can use either or? A semi-colon or a comma? Although I can understand why you had put the colon because you were writing a list of things.
In this example you can't use one or the other. I had three items in the list, and because they all contained commas I used semi-colons to separate them. Imagine if I had used commas all the way through, and no semi-colons - that would be very confusing for the reader.
On the other hand, if I had a list where the items didn't include commas, I would just use commas to separate them, like this:
These are the important things to bring: a torch, a blanket and some sandwiches.
Also, are are you good with vocabulary words? The reason why I ask is because I don't know the meaning of some of them.
I know thousands of words, and any that I don't know I can look up, so feel free to mention any words you're having difficulty with.
Why go all the way to wikipedia when we can learn from you right here? :eek: I think you are doing a marvolous job.
Why, thank you! The main reason for me directing people to the wikipedia entry on commas is that there are so many ways to use commas that I would struggle to remember them all. Also, I don't think I could improve it as a reference on the subject.
Greetings Gandalf,
The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, but it does contain elements of historical fact, albeit twisted and modified in most cases. On this page you'll find loads of information (and links to more of the same) about the book. The question of "fact or fiction" is dealt with quite thoroughly at the bottom of the page (surprise, surprise, it's another wikipedia entry!):
You're. The writer William S. Burroughs uses dashes all over the place, whereas others hardly use them at all.
In sheakspear why is the subject all over the place? That is the major between modern english and old english. The english that sheakspear wrote was poetic, however, the subject, predicate, verbs, and even linking verbs were all mixed up. Why is it like this but we still have to have footnotes to read off from it when the whole sentance is mixed up?
In this example you can't use one or the other. I had three items in the list, and because they all contained commas I used semi-colons to separate them. Imagine if I had used commas all the way through, and no semi-colons - that would be very confusing for the reader.
I had noticed a semi colon is half of an apostrophe and half a colon.
On the other hand, if I had a list where the items didn't include commas, I would just use commas to separate them, like this:
These are the important things to bring: a torch, a blanket and some sandwiches.
In the sentence above, shouldn't there be a comma after blanket? :eek:
I know thousands of words, and any that I don't know I can look up, so feel free to mention any words you're having difficulty with.
In sheakspear why is the subject all over the place? That is the major between modern english and old english. The english that sheakspear wrote was poetic, however, the subject, predicate, verbs, and even linking verbs were all mixed up. Why is it like this but we still have to have footnotes to read off from it when the whole sentance is mixed up?
I think I know what you mean, but if you could give an example that would help. If you're referring to the fact that the subject of a sentence can appear in different places in Shakespeare's language compared to modern English, that's usually the result of differences in grammar. Sometimes you find this in poetry too - often writers will make adjustments in word order for a particular effect. This could be rhythm, the stresses of the syllables, or even to force a rhyme.
I had noticed a semi colon is half of an apostrophe and half a colon.
Half a colon and half a comma, I would say.
In the sentence above, shouldn't there be a comma after blanket? :eek:
Thanks for pointing this out; I forgot to mention it. In a list we often use 'and' before the final item, but there should never be a comma before the 'and'. After all, the commas are only there to separate the items in the list, and 'and' does that on its own.
Ok. Well what does rancour and blatant mean?
Rancour means a deep feeling of resentment or anger.
I think I know what you mean, but if you could give an example that would help. If you're referring to the fact that the subject of a sentence can appear in different places in Shakespeare's language compared to modern English, that's usually the result of differences in grammar. Sometimes you find this in poetry too - often writers will make adjustments in word order for a particular effect. This could be rhythm, the stresses of the syllables, or even to force a rhyme.
Sorry for the late reply, however, here's an example from Sheakspear's MACBETH that I was talking about.
Scene:3
Act:5
Lines:47-56
Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it
Come, put mine armor on. Give me my staff
Seyton, send out.- Doctor, the thanes fly from me
Come sir, dispatch. If thou couldst, doctor, cast
The water of my land, find her disease
and purge it to a sound and pritine health
I would applaud thee to thy very echo
That should applaud again- Pull't off. I say-
What rhubarb, senna or what purgative drug,
Wouldscour these English hence? Hear'st thou of them?
So as you can see..the subjects and predicates are not in order unlike today's modern English. I wonder, how did English transition as to today's modern English from 1600 years ago.
I'm so sorry! I forgot about your question for a few days.
format_quote Originally Posted by Halima
Sorry for the late reply, however, here's an example from Sheakspear's MACBETH that I was talking about.
Scene:3
Act:5
Lines:47-56
Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it
Come, put mine armor on. Give me my staff
Seyton, send out.- Doctor, the thanes fly from me
Come sir, dispatch. If thou couldst, doctor, cast
The water of my land, find her disease
and purge it to a sound and pritine health
I would applaud thee to thy very echo
That should applaud again- Pull't off. I say-
What rhubarb, senna or what purgative drug,
Wouldscour these English hence? Hear'st thou of them?
So as you can see..the subjects and predicates are not in order unlike today's modern English.
The only example I can see where the subject is in a different position than it would be in modern English is in the last sentence: "Hear'st thou of them?" All of the other subjects would be fine in those positions in modern English.
The reason for this is simply that English in Shakespeare's time used different grammatical rules. When asking a direct question to someone it was common to have the verb before the subject. For some reason, this word order fell out of use - I don't know why, to be honest.
Here's a webpage that gives other reasons for Shakespeare's common inversions of word order:
I wonder, how did English transition as to today's modern English from 1600 years ago.
Phew! A massive question. There have been many books written on this subject. One that I would recommend very highly is David Crystal's The Stories of English. Alternatively, you could check out the information and links on this page:
You should start off an essay with an introduction. That sounds obvious, I know. What you include in the introduction depends to some extent on what kind of essay you're writing.
Ideally you should say what you intend to discuss, and how you are going to go about it. If you're presenting an argument, you should give a broad outline of your position before going into more detail. This way, the reader will be able to judge how well your essay succeeds by reference to your own criteria. You can also refer back to your introduction in your conclusion, to show how you have done what you said you were going to do.
Incidentally, one of my professors at University gave me some useful advice on essay writing - try writing the conclusion first, and the introduction last. That's a good tip if you know what your thoughts are about a particular question but you can't quite figure out how to express them in a clear and logical way. It's not an approach that works for everyone, but I thought I'd share it anyway - give it a try and see what you think.
I've just remembered a question that I couldn't remember the last time I came in here. It's about the usage of 'a' and 'an'.
I've noticed that some people tend to write 'an' before words starting with a H - when the H is pronounced individually. For example: 'It was an H.I.F'. Or I just used an example when I said "starting with a H" - I could have said "starting with an H".
This can also apply to any such word which begins with a vowel sound - I can't think of an example right now but I hope you know what I mean.
So can you clarify what is the correct usage in these situations?
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