A reader this past week asked me about the choice I made in punctuating a sentence in a recent post. It’s an astute question, and will help us understand better the difference between a comma and a semicolon. My post last week entitled Ing contrasted the present participle and the gerund, both of which end …
Author Archives: rultimo
Ing
So what is the difference between a moving van and a moving van? The more impatient among us will say, “Well, exactly nothing, because you’ve only said the same thing twice,” while the more grammatical might suspect a clue in the suffix –ing. I’d go with the grammarians. This seemingly idle question illustrates in fact …
Setting an Idea Aside
Let’s return to the topic of sentence design and look at an interesting grammatical arrangement called an absolute construction. Here’s a simple sentence that carries with it, somehow, a more descriptive or even meditative mood: I gardened late into the evening, the sun falling slowly behind the trees. The sentence begins with an independent clause …
The Larger Thought
Here’s a problem that illustrates how practical a little theory can be in sorting out the intricacies of modern English. Should I write skyscrapers typify modern architecture or the skyscraper typifies modern architecture? The question draws us into the way many (but not all) languages work, and understanding these constructions can help us make better …
Finding a Rock in a Stream
I managed to involve myself this past week in a difficult online chat with customer service, and early on in the exchange the agent wrote, I am going to send you a code on your mobile number on file, once you receive it please provide it to me. The comma caught my attention, and although …