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Showing posts with label 5. Grammar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5. Grammar. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

The Origin and Operation of the US Administrative State 

The Origin and Operation of the US Administrative State 

The Constitution nowhere provides for a permanent class of administrative overlords to whom Congress could outsource its authority. It nowhere said that there would exist a machine technically under the Executive branch that the president could not control. The Pendleton Act created a new layer of statist imposition that was no longer subject to democratic control. 

 


Monday, June 16, 2008

Besides vs. Except FROM Pearson and Longman Grammar Q & A

Additionally, when apart from or except for (NOT besides) introduce exceptions to generalizations, they mean the same thing: they mean that what follows immediately is the only exception to the category. You can not use "besides" (as in (n) and (p) below) to introduce the exception first in a sentence, as you can in (m) and (o):

(m)

Except for / Apart from his asthma, the Olympic swimmer is in perfect health.

(n)

NOT POSSIBLE: Besides his asthma, the Olympic swimmer is in perfect health.

(o)

Except for / Apart from the early morning flight, all the flights to California make a stop in Chicago.

(p)

NOT POSSIBLE: Besides the early morning flight, all the flights to California make a stop in Chicago.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Grammar Done Right - Beginning a Sentence with a Conjunction by Keren Reddick

Just as there is widespread belief that you should not end a sentence with a preposition, there is also no historical or grammatical foundation that you should not begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

A coordinating conjunction you’ll remember is for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Once again, I could find no substantiated evidence that beginning a sentence with a conjunction is an error and is mainly taught to avoid writing fragmented sentences.

GRAMMAR TIPS from The Red Pen Editor

If you decide to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, keep these points in mind:

  • Be sure that a main clause follows the coordinating conjunction.
  • Use a coordinating conjunction only when it makes the flow of your ideas more effective.
  • Do not use a comma after the coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are not considered transitional expressions like in addition or for instance.
  • But used as an adversative conjunction can sometimes be unclear at the beginning of a sentence. You’ll need to evaluate whether the but in question contradicts the preceding statement and see whether and is really the word you want. If and can be substituted, then but is almost certainly the wrong word.

    Examples:
    He went to work this morning. But he left his briefcase at home.

    Between those sentences is an indirect idea, since the two actions are in no way contradictory. What is implied is something like this:

    He went to work, intending to give a presentation, but he left his briefcase behind.

    Because and would have made sense in the original statement, but is not the right word.

    Correct: He went to work this morning. And he left his briefcase at home.

  • Although you will find many examples of commas following but at the beginning of a sentence, I would follow Keren Reddick's warning and avoid doing this.

    Please note the date of the sample writing, 1611.
    FROM the (new) legal writer by Raymond Ward
    Occasionally I come across an adult who still thinks it’s improper to start a sentence with a conjunction. Others think that starting a sentence with a conjunction is an innovation and should be done only sparingly, if at all. For those folks, I offer this passage from the King James Bible (circa 1611). I’ll put the passage in blue and the first word of each sentence in red.

    And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

    Luke 2:6–14.

    By my count, there are nine sentences; eight of them begin with a conjunction.


    Tuesday, April 22, 2008

    That & Which

    Many have thought it would be good were that always to be used to introduce only restrictive clause modifiers (The big dog that is barking is a nuisance) and which, only nonrestrictive ones (The big dog, which is barking, is mine). This neat dichotomy has been much recommended, and some conservative watchdogs of our Edited English do follow it pretty generally. But—especially in Conversational or Informal contexts—most of us use which almost interchangeably with that in restrictive modifiers and rarely but sometimes use that to introduce nonrestrictive modifiers. Then too we often omit any relative at all, as in the car I want to own, rather than the car that I want to own or the car, which I keep in the garage. (See OMITTED RELATIVE.) Best advice: use that or which or nothing, depending on what your ear tells you. Then, when writing for certain publications, know that you may have to replace a good many whiches with thats, and perhaps a that or two with a which, to conform to the “rule” almost no one follows perfectly in other than Edited English and few can follow perfectly even there.

    Tuesday, January 15, 2008

    Interchangeable Future Tenses

    FROM Comprehensive Grammar: World Talk--Dancing With English, by Dennis Le Boeuf、Liming Jing, p. 613
    Some Future Tenses Defined:
    Present progressive: fixed arrangements
    Be going to: intention
    Will: mere prediction/pure future

    Here are three examples in which the above are interchangeable:

    What are you and Ray doing during your vacation in May?

    What are you and Ray going to do during your vacation in May?

    What will you and Ray do during your vacation in May?

    Monday, October 15, 2007

    Adjective and Adverb Order

    Adjective Order



    Opinion Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose
    1. a silly
    young

    English

    man
    2. a
    huge
    round

    metal
    bowl
    3. a
    small

    red

    sleeping bag

    Above are three description showing the correct order of adjectives.
    The first is "a silly young English man."

    For more details see learn4good.com


    Adverb Order


    Subject Verb
    Manner Place Frequency Time
    Purpose

    1.
    Brigitte swims enthusiastically in the pool every morning before dawn to keep fit.
    2. Our winner Jan naps
    in her classroom every afternoon before dinner.
    3. Shawn Brown walks fast to town every morning after trimming the lawn.

    This table is from Comprehensive Grammar: World Talk--Dancing With English.

    Saturday, September 15, 2007

    Particular Prepsotions

    This list is from Comprehensive Grammar: World Talk--Dancing With English by
    Dennis Le Boeuf and Liming Jing. See their list for more details and examples.

    afraid of
    angry with a person for doing something
    angry at or about something
    apologize to somebody for something
    apply for a position
    argue about something
    arrive at or in
    bad at
    because of
    compare to (two unlike things)
    compare with (two like things)
    congratulate/congratulations on something
    convenient for (suitable)
    convenient to (near at hand)
    depend/dependent on
    different from/than (From is preferred; than is acceptable in informal English)
    disappointed with somebody
    disappointed with/at/about something
    discuss something (no preposition)
    discussion about
    divide into
    dream of (think of, imagine)
    dream about/of (while asleep)
    dressed in
    drive into
    enter a place (no preposition)
    enter into an agreement, a dialog, a discussion, etc.
    example of
    explain something to somebody
    get in/into (or get out of) a car, taxi, or small boat
    get on/onto (or get off) a train, plane, bus, ship, bike
    good at
    impressed with/by
    increase in activity, output, etc.
    independent/independence from (freedom from control by another country or organization)
    independent of (able to make decisions and live your life free from the control or influence of
    other people)
    insist on
    instead of + noun/adverb/adjective (in place of)
    interest/interested in
    kind to
    lack of
    lack (v.) (no preposition)
    be lacking in
    laugh at
    laugh about
    listen to
    look at (point one's eyes at)
    look after (=take care of)
    look for (=try to find)
    marriage to; get/be married to
    marry somebody (no preposition)
    nice to
    operate on a patient
    pleased with somebody
    pleased with/about something
    polite to
    prevent . . . from + -ing form
    proof of
    reason for
    remind someone of
    remind someone about
    responsible for (doing) something
    responsible to somebody (= answerable)
    rude to
    search (no preposition) (= look through; look everywhere in/on)
    search for (= look for)
    shocked at/by
    shout at (aggressive)
    shout to (= call to)
    smile at
    sorry about something that has happened
    sorry about/for something that one has done
    sorry for a person
    speak to/with (talk to someone about something)
    suffer from
    surprised at/by
    take part in
    (be) thinking of (You have a plan, but you're not sure about it; you are thinking of doing it)
    (be) thinking about (If you are thinking about something, it is happening in your mind at this
    moment.)
    [Think of and Think about are phrasal verbs]
    the thought of
    throw . . . at (aggressive)
    throw . . . to (in a game, etc.)
    translate into
    typical of
    wait for somebody/something
    wrong with




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