Discussion Forum
This is a forum to discuss the gray areas of the English language for which you would not find answers easily in dictionaries or other reference books.
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Latest Posts : Style
I am working on a documentary film and have hit upon a conundrum that we hope one of the fabulous Pain in the English grammarians can solve. We are using the full capital case (”all caps”) to identify our experts, in a text box that pops up below them during their appearances on screen; for example: JOHN SMITH, HISTORIAN. One of our experts has a name that includes a superscript letter (e.g.: JANE MCDONALD) and another has the abbreviation Jr. after his name (e.g.: WILLIAM DOE, JR.).
Question: Should those superscripted and abbreviated letters stay in all caps, too? Or should they be treated differently, either lower case or small caps? (e.g.: JANE McDONALD / WILLIAM DOE, Jr.) I’ve searched the Chicago Manual of Style and the Government Printing Office’s online manual, and have found no guidance in either.
Thank you for your help!
Susan
There is a town called “Two Egg” in Florida USA. My question is; why the egg is not plural there. Also there is something like “Two egg cake”.
Can someone explain it? Actually i am planning to establish a shop. Which one would suit better “two egg” or “two eggs”
Thank you?
I’ve developed a “tic” for adding - I believe the expression is “postpositively” “is what I’m saying” at the end of a sentence. In usage, it is an intensifier. So I might say “I’ve been noticing that I use this expression a lot, is what I’m saying!” Typically after some prior exposition on the topic - this becomes the concluding thought.
Two questions - has anyone else heard anyone else say this? Where does it come from? Where did I pick it up? I’m in the Northeastern US. Is the expression or any variant from this region?
It’s awfully similar to “I’m just saying” but my understanding of “I’m just saying” is that it’s somewhat negative - connoting an undercurrent of a wink and a nod. “...is what I’m saying” doesn’t have that connotation, is what I’m saying. LOL!
Some authorities (such as IBM and Wikipedia) say that “big data” should not be capitalised, while others say it should be capitalised as “Big Data”.
Logically, it would be capitalised only if it were a proper noun, that is, if it identified a unique individual. For example, “the Internet” refers to the global internet, of which there is only one, so it is capitalised. Big data does not really seem to be like that. In any technical usage, it refers to the use of very large databases, and should therefore be a common noun.
In the popular imagination, however, all instances of big data coalesce into a monstrous global conspiratorial network of databases, called Big Data. It is akin to Deep State.
So, it seems to me that “big data” should be used in any sober context, and “Big Data” reserved for conspiracy theories untethered from objective reality.
But ... in a proofreading context I would have to correct “a Big Data-driven project” to “a big data-driven project”, which is ambiguous as it could mean either “a big project that is driven by data” or “a project that is driven by big data”.
Any suggestions?
I need to give a range of percentages. Do I say “somewhere between 40 and 50%?” or “somewhere between 40% and 50%”? Does the percentage sign get assigned to the first value, even though it’s not verbally articulated?
Is it alright to omit the word “I” in some cases. If I have already been writing about myself and I slip in a sentence that says for example, “Will be in town next week.” Is this acceptable or should I write “I” at the beginning of each sentence?
A) Must we have fish for dinner again?
B) Shall we have to have fish for dinner again?
C) Will we have to have fish for dinner again?
D) Do we have to have fish for dinner again?
Accepting that (D) is by far the commonest utterance and would express annoyance or lament. roughly the same as “I wish we weren’t having fish again”, my concern is with the other options, particularly (B) which looks “grammatical” but just sounds odd to me. (A) is less common today but seems to go back a long way whereas “have to” is relatively modern, so which sound “normal” to you?
How do you handle a quote within a quote within a quote in an MLA citation?
“She said she...” or “She said that she...”
All my life I have received great feedback about my grammar, but these past few years I find myself over thinking it—all the time. It actually causes me to create mistakes where there previously weren’t any. Bizarre?
One such thing that I have thought too much about is the necessity of “that” in phrases like the above. When would you say it’s necessary? Always? Never? Sometimes? Explain! Thanks!
Latest Comments
Past perfect with until
- Faraon23
- May 1, 2024, 12:51am
Hi all
Pronouncing “mandatory”
- Afederalemployee
- April 30, 2024, 6:59pm
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“graduated high school” or “graduated from high school”?
- boveret593
- April 28, 2024, 4:50pm
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Semicolon and omission of repetitive words
- boveret593
- April 28, 2024, 4:48pm
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Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- boveret593
- April 28, 2024, 4:47pm
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Why Asian English Speakers Are Hard to Understand
- elizabethwilliams_7
- April 25, 2024, 12:38pm
You're saying that Asian people speaking English sometimes have a tough time being understood by native English speakers. It's not just about their accents or how they pronounce words. It's more about the differences in culture. For instance, Europeans might find it easier to communicate because they share similar cultures with Americans. But Asian cultures can be quite different, which makes it harder for them to give enough information when they talk. This can lead to misunderstandings, even if they speak perfectly. So, it's important to bridge these cultural gaps to understand each other better.
“Let his/him come in.”
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:26am
In this context, "Let him come in" is the correct option. The use of "him" as the object pronoun is appropriate when referring to a person being allowed to enter. "Let his come in" would not be grammatically correct in standard English usage. Therefore, "him" is the most suitable choice for the completion of the sentence.
Is a definite article (the) necessary for "most"?
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:25am
Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they convey slightly different nuances.
The first sentence, "What fascinates me the most about the textile industry is that it drives the economy of many third world countries," uses "the most," which emphasizes a specific aspect or element that is of greatest interest to the speaker. In this case, it suggests that among all the fascinating aspects of the textile industry, the economy-driving aspect is the most captivating to the speaker.
The second sentence, "What fascinates me most about the textile industry is that it drives the economy of many third world countries," omits "the" before "most." This version suggests a more general fascination with the textile industry overall, without specifically highlighting one particular aspect as the most fascinating.
Both versions are acceptable depending on the intended emphasis or tone of your writing. If you want to emphasize a specific aspect as the most fascinating, use "the most." If you want to convey a more general fascination without specific emphasis, use "most" without "the."
“I have two sons, Bill and Ben”: comma or colon?
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:23am
In this case, using a comma is appropriate. A colon typically introduces a list or emphasizes a point, but in your sentence, the phrase "Bill and Ben" is simply providing additional information about your sons. Therefore, a comma is more suitable for this context.
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"badly miscalculated" — double negatives?
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