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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Essay & Composition Writing
Correct Grammar
Please find a draft of a leter to the Editor .
Kindly point out and correct errors.
Thanks.
regards,
Ernest Yonghc
......................................
CORRECT GRAMMAR
I would like to refer to the dispute on correct grammar I have gleaned from an article on Errors in PMR English language grammar which appeared in the thestar.com.my dated 24.10.2010 by Mr. Lim, ( http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/10/24/education/7228724&sec=education ) and a rebuttal dated 31.10.2010 by Marisa Demori, (
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/10/31/education/7293624&sec=education )
I am not a professor of English. However, my credentials as a self-appointed arbiter are 1.) string of distinctions in the English language from primary to tertiary educational levels, 2.) expertise in computing, 3.) experience in research work gained while working for 2 large multinational corporations for a decade.
My opinions are formed after receiving numerous inputs from participants - some of whom are listed among the Top 10 Power users, Experts and Contributors - in an English language forum, . I would like to acknowledge inputs from Clive (Veteran, etc.), AlpheccaStars (Power user, etc.), Markroe and dimsumexpress in particular. These helpful forum participants are absolved from any errors for which I am solely responsible.
I shall try to be grammatically correct. However, if I should err, kindly apprise me of my shortcomings and forgive me. Am I being impudent or overbearing? Admitted, I will not be piqued if you choose to criticize me, after all my livelihood is not dependent on my English language proficiency, since I do not set English examination questions, am not an English language teacher or tutor. However, I do have a keen interest in the English language, and am concerned about the deteriorating standard of the English language in my country. Pardon me for grading the vanguard of the English language, and perhaps inadvertently hurting egos. There could be justification for my good intention; I am guided by my belief in utilitarianism.
I tend to agree with a participant who claims to love the English language that the vanguard have missed certain elements in being able to form a complete thought.
The same participant has observed that the qualifications of English teachers who teach in other countries may not have met the English speaking country standards, and therefore compromise the learning opportunity of the students.
The sentences in dispute are as follows:
Q1. "Being a Penangite, it was indeed fun to go somewhere far as it would be a change from my normal routine..."
Grammatically, the above sentence may be correct. However, one may infer that a Penangite has rarely been anywhere far, so it was fun for him or her to go somewhere far as it would be a nice change from the normal route..."
"It" is a dummy noun which could be applied to "him" or "her".
However, that sentence could be improved as follows:
"Being a Penangite, (and rarely been anywhere far), it was indeed fun (for me) to go somewhere far as it would be a (nice) change from (the) normal routine...". It may not be accurate to attribute lack of clarity to the problem of dangling modifier.
It may be better to reconstruct the sentence as follows:
"Being a Penangite, I had fun going somewhere far as it would be a change from my normal routine...". It implies that, in some way, Penangites have fun when they travel to far-away places.
The word dangling in dangling modifier connotes uncertainty not inseparability. An example of dangling modifier,
Upon entering the doctor's office, a skeleton caught my attention.
(Was the skeleton entering the doctor's office?)
Score: Lim: 0, Marisa:1
Q2. "Drop me off at a small town"
Correction:
"Drop me off in a small town"
"at" refers to a small place, "in", a bigger place. You may say "Drop me off at the post office in a small town".
"The intergalactic spaceship dropped me off at planet earth, a tiny speck in the cosmos". The usage of "at" depends on the context.
Score: Lim:1, Marisa:0
Q3. "I went to enquire at the bus station"
Correction:
"I went to enquire about the bus schedule at the bus station".
Object of enquiry needs to be induced. British English defines enquire as "ask a question", inquire as "formal investigation". US English considers inquire as more dominant in usage than enquire; they may refer to both "ask a question" or "formal investigation".
Score: Lim:1, Marisa:0
Q4. "I alighted where most buses stopped for passengers to get refreshments and stretch their legs."
Correction:
"I alighted whenever the bus stopped for passengers to get refreshments and stretch their legs."
"alighted" is not wrong. When "where" is used, the writer may have got off the bus and gone home. When "whenever" is used, the writer was in the bus after getting off at all rest stops. The writer might have intended to mention that the rest stops are places where most buses also stopped. If necessary, this may be included in the next sentence for clarity.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:0
Q5. "enquire from....."
Correction:
"enquire from... about"
"enquire from" is not wrong, but the object of enquiry is missing. You may say "I enquired from the corner of the room whether Napoleon was French."
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:0
Q6. "... and was told to wait at a bus stop across the road. Hence, I waited eagerly..."
the word "Hence" is correctly used above. It can be used as follows:
He loved her. Hence, he married her. He loved her, and hence he married her. I will see you two days hence. He is dead, hence his absence.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:1
Q7. "This will definitely be one experience that I will never forget!"
The above sentence is grammatically correct. Mr. Lim's correction is also correct. But Mr. Lim was wrong in saying that Marisa was wrong.
I agree with a contributor's comments reproduced verbatim below:
Consider this simple example.
My house burns down. I am rescued by the firemen.
I can say various things, depending on how I am thinking about these events.
I say "That was definitely an experience that I will never forget!"
I'm thinking of the experience as finished.
I say "That will definitely be one experience that I will never forget!"
I'm forecasting how I will think about it in the future, eg once I have absorbed it fully into my mind.
I can also say "That is definitely one experience that I will never forget!" I'm thinking of the experience as still part of the present situation, as still taking place.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:1
Results: Lim: 29%, Marisa:43%
Kind regards,
Yonghc
3.11.2010
Kindly point out and correct errors.
Thanks.
regards,
Ernest Yonghc
......................................
CORRECT GRAMMAR
I would like to refer to the dispute on correct grammar I have gleaned from an article on Errors in PMR English language grammar which appeared in the thestar.com.my dated 24.10.2010 by Mr. Lim, ( http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/10/24/education/7228724&sec=education ) and a rebuttal dated 31.10.2010 by Marisa Demori, (
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/10/31/education/7293624&sec=education )
I am not a professor of English. However, my credentials as a self-appointed arbiter are 1.) string of distinctions in the English language from primary to tertiary educational levels, 2.) expertise in computing, 3.) experience in research work gained while working for 2 large multinational corporations for a decade.
My opinions are formed after receiving numerous inputs from participants - some of whom are listed among the Top 10 Power users, Experts and Contributors - in an English language forum, . I would like to acknowledge inputs from Clive (Veteran, etc.), AlpheccaStars (Power user, etc.), Markroe and dimsumexpress in particular. These helpful forum participants are absolved from any errors for which I am solely responsible.
I shall try to be grammatically correct. However, if I should err, kindly apprise me of my shortcomings and forgive me. Am I being impudent or overbearing? Admitted, I will not be piqued if you choose to criticize me, after all my livelihood is not dependent on my English language proficiency, since I do not set English examination questions, am not an English language teacher or tutor. However, I do have a keen interest in the English language, and am concerned about the deteriorating standard of the English language in my country. Pardon me for grading the vanguard of the English language, and perhaps inadvertently hurting egos. There could be justification for my good intention; I am guided by my belief in utilitarianism.
I tend to agree with a participant who claims to love the English language that the vanguard have missed certain elements in being able to form a complete thought.
The same participant has observed that the qualifications of English teachers who teach in other countries may not have met the English speaking country standards, and therefore compromise the learning opportunity of the students.
The sentences in dispute are as follows:
Q1. "Being a Penangite, it was indeed fun to go somewhere far as it would be a change from my normal routine..."
Grammatically, the above sentence may be correct. However, one may infer that a Penangite has rarely been anywhere far, so it was fun for him or her to go somewhere far as it would be a nice change from the normal route..."
"It" is a dummy noun which could be applied to "him" or "her".
However, that sentence could be improved as follows:
"Being a Penangite, (and rarely been anywhere far), it was indeed fun (for me) to go somewhere far as it would be a (nice) change from (the) normal routine...". It may not be accurate to attribute lack of clarity to the problem of dangling modifier.
It may be better to reconstruct the sentence as follows:
"Being a Penangite, I had fun going somewhere far as it would be a change from my normal routine...". It implies that, in some way, Penangites have fun when they travel to far-away places.
The word dangling in dangling modifier connotes uncertainty not inseparability. An example of dangling modifier,
Upon entering the doctor's office, a skeleton caught my attention.
(Was the skeleton entering the doctor's office?)
Score: Lim: 0, Marisa:1
Q2. "Drop me off at a small town"
Correction:
"Drop me off in a small town"
"at" refers to a small place, "in", a bigger place. You may say "Drop me off at the post office in a small town".
"The intergalactic spaceship dropped me off at planet earth, a tiny speck in the cosmos". The usage of "at" depends on the context.
Score: Lim:1, Marisa:0
Q3. "I went to enquire at the bus station"
Correction:
"I went to enquire about the bus schedule at the bus station".
Object of enquiry needs to be induced. British English defines enquire as "ask a question", inquire as "formal investigation". US English considers inquire as more dominant in usage than enquire; they may refer to both "ask a question" or "formal investigation".
Score: Lim:1, Marisa:0
Q4. "I alighted where most buses stopped for passengers to get refreshments and stretch their legs."
Correction:
"I alighted whenever the bus stopped for passengers to get refreshments and stretch their legs."
"alighted" is not wrong. When "where" is used, the writer may have got off the bus and gone home. When "whenever" is used, the writer was in the bus after getting off at all rest stops. The writer might have intended to mention that the rest stops are places where most buses also stopped. If necessary, this may be included in the next sentence for clarity.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:0
Q5. "enquire from....."
Correction:
"enquire from... about"
"enquire from" is not wrong, but the object of enquiry is missing. You may say "I enquired from the corner of the room whether Napoleon was French."
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:0
Q6. "... and was told to wait at a bus stop across the road. Hence, I waited eagerly..."
the word "Hence" is correctly used above. It can be used as follows:
He loved her. Hence, he married her. He loved her, and hence he married her. I will see you two days hence. He is dead, hence his absence.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:1
Q7. "This will definitely be one experience that I will never forget!"
The above sentence is grammatically correct. Mr. Lim's correction is also correct. But Mr. Lim was wrong in saying that Marisa was wrong.
I agree with a contributor's comments reproduced verbatim below:
Consider this simple example.
My house burns down. I am rescued by the firemen.
I can say various things, depending on how I am thinking about these events.
I say "That was definitely an experience that I will never forget!"
I'm thinking of the experience as finished.
I say "That will definitely be one experience that I will never forget!"
I'm forecasting how I will think about it in the future, eg once I have absorbed it fully into my mind.
I can also say "That is definitely one experience that I will never forget!" I'm thinking of the experience as still part of the present situation, as still taking place.
Score: Lim:0, Marisa:1
Results: Lim: 29%, Marisa:43%
Kind regards,
Yonghc
3.11.2010
Top answer
You spelled letter wrong. (and a lot of other stuff) Personally, I found your letter to be overwhelming, long, and, although you may be correct in stating certain facts, quite incorrect in your own grammar. I skimmed through the entire letter, but it was very unpleasant and difficult to read.
- You spelled letter wrong.
- (and a lot of other stuff) Personally, I found your letter to be overwhelming, long, and, although you may be correct in stating certain facts, quite incorrect in your own grammar.
- I skimmed through the entire letter, but it was very unpleasant and difficult to read.
- The structure alone could use some work.
- I only see two paragraphs.
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1 Answers
0
You spelled letter wrong. (and a lot of other stuff)
Personally, I found your letter to be overwhelming, long, and, although you may be correct in stating certain facts, quite incorrect in your own grammar.
I skimmed through the entire letter, but it was very unpleasant and difficult to read. The structure alone could use some work. I only see two paragraphs. (Notice how I w
Personally, I found your letter to be overwhelming, long, and, although you may be correct in stating certain facts, quite incorrect in your own grammar.
I skimmed through the entire letter, but it was very unpleasant and difficult to read. The structure alone could use some work. I only see two paragraphs. (Notice how I w
0
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