Civil War Articles

I am testing out a program for a friend.  Thought I would post these three articles on literature and the Civil War.  Enjoy.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=46725&v=2.1&u=kenn85348&it=markList&p=GVRL&sw=w

Subjects and Verbs: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Subject and verb agreement is one of the most difficult things to master in grammar. We learn early in education that singular subjects take singular verbs and that plural subjects take plural verbs. Of course, it's not quite that cut and dry. We could write a book on S-V agreement (in fact, some have been written), but for the sake of time, space, and sanity, let's just talk about how to choose the correct verb when you have a split subject.

When you have two singular subjects separated by or or nor, you must use a singular verb.

Example:

Neither the memo nor the letter is/are proof of her guilt.

Because both subjects are singular (memo and letter), the correct answer would be the singular verb is.

Likewise, when you have two plural subjects separated by or or nor, you must use a plural verb.

Example:

Either roses or orchids make/makes beautiful bridal bouquets.

Because both subjects are plural (roses and orchids), the correct answer would be the plural verb make.

Oh, but what happens when you have one singular subject and one plural subject? It's really quite easy once you know the rule. If the subject nearer the verb is singular, choose the singular verb. If the subject nearer the verb is plural, choose the plural verb.

Examples:

1. Neither Mrs. Jones nor her assistants take/takes coffee breaks during the day.

Mrs. Jones is singular; assistants is plural. Because assistants is closer to the verb, you should choose the plural verb take.

2. Either the computers or the fax machine need/needs to be serviced.

Computers is plural; fax machine is singular. Because fax machine is closer to the verb, you should choose the singular verb needs.

Notice in the next example that it doesn't matter if the subjects come at the beginning of the sentence. You still refer to the one nearer the verb to determine the correct choice.

Example:

Is/Are either my wife or children going to be at my surprise party?

Because wife is singular and closer to the verb, you would choose the singular verb is.

The same rule applies with subjects separated by not only and but also.

Example:

Not only the cake but also the flowers was/were done in shades of pink.

Again, because flowers is plural and closer to the verb than cake, you would choose the plural verb were.

For more practice on S-V agreement, visit the following sites:

Guide to Grammar and Writing
Online Writing Lab
The Tongue Untied

You May Quote Me on That!

We all know that quotations are used primarily to set off a speaker's exact words. Of course, they also enclose titles of articles, songs, poems, and other smaller works. That sounds like a simple enough rule, right? Well, it is--in a way. The only tricky part about using a set of quotation marks is knowing where to place the ending punctuation. To make it even more irksome, our rules in the United States differ a bit from those in Great Britain, and because we see and read lots of material written by English authors, we get confused. However, back here in the good old U.S., we need to stick to our tried and true--red, white, and blue.

"Innies"

Periods and Commas: If you forget everything else, remember this one commandment: Periods and commas ALWAYS go INSIDE quotation marks. No fuss, no muss. I love absolutes (there are so few in grammar). Even a concrete rule such as this gets abused. I see that period stuck outside the quotation marks on the evening news, in the newspapers, even on Jeopardy! However, using it over and over again incorrectly never makes it right.

"Outies"

Semicolons and Colons: This rule is just as easy to remember and use: Semicolons and colons ALWAYS go OUTSIDE quotation marks. Again, no exceptions. I like it when I don't have to think!

"In-Betweenies"

Drat, now we have to think (but just a little).

Question Marks: If ONLY the quoted material is a question, then the question mark goes INSIDE the quotation marks. Take, for example, the sentence, I heard Beth ask him, "Do you want me to go?" The "I heard Beth ask him" part is obviously not a question. The question comes only from the quote; therefore, the question mark goes inside the quotes. On the other hand, look at this statement: Did you hear Beth say, "I want to go"? Here we have a different scenario. The quoted part is not a question, but the entire sentence is a question. Therefore, we place the question mark OUTSIDE the quotation marks.

Exclamation Points: This is the same principle as the question mark. Simply ask yourself whether the entire sentence is an exclamation or merely the quoted part, and then punctuate accordingly.

For more information and practice punctuating with quotation marks, visit the following sites:

Online Writing Lab
The Tongue Untied
Get it Write
Guide to Grammar and Writing

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Between you and I, this is a sticky one.....WHOA! Did you catch my grammar gremlin? I hear this used incorrectly at least twice a day, most of the time on television programs by people who should know better. Of course, it should read "Between you and me, this is a sticky one." I think that the reason this one sticks out like a sore thumb is because the majority of grammar errors occur in writing, not in speaking. This is just the opposite. I HEAR this one more than I see it.

Why do we misuse the I here? I have a theory. I believe that we have been taught that I is more formal and should, therefore, be used in writing and speaking. We remember that admonition, but we don't remember how to use it correctly. Therefore, we just stick I in every place every chance we get. We become "I happy."

Remember the Rule

The rule is that if a pronoun (like I or me) follows a preposition (like between), then you must use the objective case of that pronoun. So, what is the objective case? The Gregg Reference Manual tells us that case is "the form of a noun or of a pronoun that indicates its relation to other words in the sentence" (p. 516 of the 8th ed.). The two principal uses for the objective case are as the object of a verb and the object of a preposition. Of course, in our instance, we're talking about the object of a preposition.

If we know that we need a pronoun in the objective case after a preposition, then we just need to know what the objective pronouns are. They are me, you, him, her, it, us, them, and whom. We are now armed with all the information we need to choose the correct pronoun for our example. Since between is a preposition, we need to say "Between you and me (not I), this is a sticky one."

Now Forget the Rule

If you find it hard to remember the big bad rule, then just forget it! This is one case where you can use good old common sense. You would never dream of saying "The final race will be between I." (This sounds better with other prepositions, but you get the point.)

Caution

A word of caution: If you have a buddy pronoun other than you, make sure to select the objective pronoun. Look at this example: "An agreement was soon reached between (she, her) and (I, me)." We now know that we should choose me instead of I, but you also need to choose her instead of she. Remember the objective case pronouns listed above! Again, you wouldn't say "An agreement was soon reached between she" or "An agreement was soon reached between I."

For more explanation and examples, visit these sites:

Bartleby
Guide to Grammar and Style

That or Which? That is the Question!

Many people have trouble deciding whether to use which or that when writing sentences such as the following:

1. The cars which/that have manual transmission are all on sale.
2. The math problems which/that demonstrate the Pythagorean Theory stumped the children.

Before we look at whether you should select which or that above, let's first talk about the function of the two. Although which and that can be used in other ways, in these instances they are acting as relative pronouns that are introducing adjective clauses. (Remember that a clause contains a subject and a verb but does not in itself express a complete thought.) The clauses are both modifying the nouns that precede them (cars and problems).

Now that we know what they do, let's look at how to choose the correct pronoun for the sentences. You must first determine whether or not the clause is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. Actually, in both sentences, you could use which or that. Your meaning holds the key. As Woe is I points out, the general rule of thumb is this:

"If you can drop the clause and not lose the point of the sentence, use which. If you can't, use that" (p. 3).

In other words, you have to decide whether the clause is restrictive (esential) or non-restrictive (non-essential).

Sentence One: If you mean that all the cars are on sale and that they all just happen to have manual transmission, then the clause is non-restrictive, and you should choose which. On the other hand, if you mean that you have other types of cars and only the ones with manual transmission are on sale, then the clause is restrictive, and you must choose that.

Sentence Two: If you mean that all the problems stumped the children and that they all just happened to have demonstrated the Pythagorean Theory, then the clause is non-restrictive, and you should choose which. If, however, you mean that there are other types of problems and that the only ones that stumped the children were the ones that demonstrated the Pythagorean Theory, then the clause is restrictive, and you must choose that.

Now for one more annoying point: If the clause is restrictive (using that), then you don't need any punctuation. If the clause is non-restrictive (using which), then you should separate it from the rest of the sentence with commas.

It's not that difficult, but it can be a bit confusing. Woe is I does a better job than I do of cutting to the meat of the matter with this little jingle:

"Commas, which cut out the fat,
Go with which, never with that" (p. 4).

This does take practice. Just remember first to determine whether or not the clause is vital to the meaning of the sentence. If it is, use that with no punctuation; if not, use which surrounded by commas.

If you feel like you still need some practice, visit at these online resources:

Get it Write
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might...

Have you ever heard of the subjunctive mood? If not, don't despair; most people couldn't tell you what it is. However, I bet that most of them would use it correctly even without knowing why.

The subjunctive is a mood of will, a mood of desires. We use it when we wish something. When we're in our wishful thinking mode, we change our verb to reflect our dreamy mood. Usually that means using were when we would normally use was. Basically, use were after the verb wish and after if, as if, and as though when you're talking about a condition that isn't really true.

Examples
I wish I were an actress (but I am not).
If I were you, I'd give him a call (but I am not).
He acts as if he were the president of the organization (but he's not).
I spoke as though I were the boss (but I'm not).

However (you just knew there had to be a but coming), if the statement can be true, then you use was and not were.

If Sue was at the bus station (and she was), I missed her.
It appeared as though the writing was slanted (and it was).

Try your hand at these:

1. She behaves as though she (was/were) in charge.
2. I wish I (was/were) as competent as James.
3. If the estimate (was/were) correct, why did they reject it?
4. If Sue (was/were) responsible, she would reorganize the department.
5. He tries to act as if he (was/were) experienced.

If you answered were, were, was, were, were then you have learned the subjunctive mood!

For more fun (yes, we are having fun) with the subjunctive mood, visit the Guide to Grammar and Get It Write.

"A Negative x A Negative = A Positive"

What has math got to do with grammar? Well, in this case, lots. The commandment of "Thou Shalt Not Use A Double Negative" is a well known rule of grammar, and, in the big scheme of things, it's a fairly easy one to remember and practice.

Simply don't use more than one negative expression to convey a negative idea in a sentence. Words such as only, scarcely, never, and but have negative meanings. Therefore, don't combine them with any other negative word, such as not, if you want to retain the negative meaning.

Woe is I tells us a little about the history of the double negative rule. O'Conner points out that "For centuries, it was fine to pile one negative on top of another in the same sentence. Chaucer and Shakespeare did this all the time to accentuate the negative. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that the double negative was declared a sin against the King's English, on the ground that one negative canceled the other" (188). She also says that the guy responsible for this rule was Robert Lowth, the same character who decided in his infinite wisdom that we shouldn't end sentences with prepositions!

When I taught language arts, one of my favorite examples of this was the commercial slogan "Nobody Doesn't Like Sarah Lee." I pointed out that if "nobody doesn't" like her products, then, of course, that means that EVERYONE DOES like them. When we finished language arts and worked on math, I reinforced the concept by pointing out that a negative x a negative did, indeed, = a positive. Isn't it nice when you can drive children crazy in every subject?

I don't think double negatives are always bad. Sometimes it's important to be able to avoid being blatantly negative. Woe is I gives two examples that everyone (especially every man) should memorize: "Your blind date is not unattractive" and "I wouldn't say I don't like your new haircut" (189). As you can see, tact occasionally trumps grammar in the real world.

For some fun exercises and examples of the rule, visit Skillwise and LEO. Teachers will find The Teacher is Wrong site full of fun and interesting ways to teach this concept.