Search results for 'tag:Dates tag:Colons' matching tags 'Dates' and 'Colons'

Re: tense checking

Grammar Geek — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:10:20 GMT

I should have edited the post - they are clearly related, but the first three seemed unrelated to each other.

I broke them into each line so I could comment one by one.

I think the probable date I noted for his visit is one month from the day of writing

You wrote, "If I sleep one more day, I will be meeting my nephew who will be visiting us from the Phillipines." That sounds like he is coming tomorrow to me. How could I guess that it's actually another month away? You wrote that he's coming home "for a month vacation." It sounds like he's coming tomorrow, and staying for one month.

and I think I also have noted that the probable period of completion will last two months.What made you think the writing gives out an idea that I will try to finish the project in one day?

You said that he comes tomorrow, and you are starting today - so naturally that sounds like you'll do one month's worth of work in one day.

You changed the tense of the last sentence to present perfect; (semicolon OK?) but I don't think a past is wrong but a present tense is better because the choice made is current and currently related.

Yes, you made the decision quite recently. The present tense is appropriate. If you used the past, the entire thing should be written in a past tense, not the present.

Where did you want to use the semi-colon?

Re: tense checking

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:39:27 GMT

Thank you so much.

How would you divide this type of writing (diary or reflection piece?) into paragraphs, especially when the content of a possible paragraph is two or thre sentences long?

You asked:

I am starting to work on my two-month project on ~~today~~ this afternoon;, and when my nephew gets here, I will probably have finished half the project.Tenses are okay. You can finish half of a two-month project in one day?

I think the probable date I noted for his visit is one month from the day of writing and I think I also have noted that the probable period of completion will last two months. What made you think the writing gives out an idea that I will try to finish the project in one day?

You changed the tense of the last sentence to present perfect; (semicolon OK?) but I don't think a past is wrong but a present tense is better because the choice made is current and currently related.

Last sentence that you made a change:

Yes, I have made the choice and that is to finish the project on time.

Memos show Clinton turmoil

Jackson6612 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:05:10 GMT

Memos show Clinton turmoil

Question: I would have written ''Clinton's turmoil''. Why didn't the author use apostrophe?

BY CRAIG GORDON AND TOM BRUNE | <email addresses removed by mod.>
August 13, 2008

Question: Why is semicolon used instead of comma to separate the email addresses above?

WASHINGTON - In a fresh postmortem (=an examination of a plan or event that failed, done to discover why it failed, =autopsy) on Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid (=attempt to obtain or do something), newly published staff memos (=a short official note to another person in the same company or organization) and e-mails reveal a campaign hobbled (=to hobble something or someone means to make it more difficult for them to be successful or to achieve what they want) by internal rivalries (=a situation in which two or more people, teams, or companies are competing for something), faulty planning, bloated (=more than needed, =excessive) spending - and perhaps most important, Clinton's own failure to make the hard decisions.

Clinton offered herself to voters as a hyper-competent (=extra competent) executive ready to be president from day one. But atop (=on top of something) her own campaign, she was a hesitant leader, who allowed bitter infighting (=when members of the same group or organization argue, or compete with each other in an unfriendly way) to fester (=If an argument or bad feeling festers, it continues so that feelings of hate or dissatisfaction increase) among staffers over whether to go negative against Barack Obama, according to the Atlantic magazine.

The most bare-knuckled (=characterized by disorderly action and disregard for rules) lines of attack came from Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, who urged Clinton to highlight Obama's "lack of American roots" due to his upbringing in Indonesia and Hawaii - saying he could only win if he faced Attila the Hun ((?406-453 AD) a king of the Huns (=an ancient people from Asia) who attacked and took control of large parts of the Roman Empire. He is famous for being violent and cruel).

But Clinton didn't embrace Penn's flag-waving (=the expression of strong national feelings, especially when these feelings seem too extreme) approach (=way of doing something), which campaign aides (=someone whose job is to help someone who has an important job, especially a politician) insist was never seriously considered.

Question: Clinton didn't embrace Penn's approach because she did not consider it seriously. Therefore, what campaign aides were saying is redundant.

The article also says that Clinton at times grew frustrated and short-tempered - including on the morning after her stunning third-place finish in Iowa in January, when aides on a call were silent. Clinton's camp dismissed the story as "inside-the-Beltway gossip" and "old news." And former campaign aides sharply disputed the notion of Clinton as an indecisive leader, with one campaign veteran saying, "Nobody seems to want to remember the fact that we had so many successes and come-from-behind victories in this campaign ... and they are due in large part to Senator Clinton's leadership."

Question: What does the line including on the morning...when aides on a call were silent mean? If she finished third place, then why would the author describe it as stunning? What does call mean in when aides on a call were silent?

Question: What does the phrase inside-the-Beltway gossip mean?

Question: What does the line Nobody seems to want to remember...to Senator Clinton's leadership'' mean?

But the e-mails and memos offer vivid (=very clear and detailed) new details about what had long been reported - that Clinton's headquarters was beset (=to make someone experience serious problems or dangers) by caustic (=bitter) internal battles involving Penn and former President Bill Clinton, who wanted to forcefully attack Obama, and others who wanted the New York senator to take a more positive tack (=method, =way of doing something). At one point, it was Bill Clinton - and not Hillary - who approved the famed 3 a.m. phone call ad.

Question: what had long been reported is passive past perfect tense. Am I right?

Question: I think headquarters should take plural verb. What do you say?

Question: Why are the hyphens used in -and not Hillary-? I believe commas would do instead?

Adding to the turmoil was the fact that the campaign had little strategy and no money left to seriously compete in the post-Super Tuesday contests - having (=the form having with a past participle can be used to introduce a clause in which you mention an action which had already happened before another action began) burned through $106 million before Iowa. That allowed Obama to win 12 straight contests and effectively wrap up (=to finish a job, meeting etc) the nomination.

Question: What does burned through mean?

In the end, the campaign's strategy came to reflect some of the internal turmoil, as Clinton veered (=changed course) from attacking Obama to emphasizing her personal side.

Question: What does her personal side mean?

Penn did offer some advice in March 2007 that proved on the mark - Clinton's path to victory lay with women and lower- and working-class voters.

Question: What does proved on the mark mean? I couldn't find it in the dictionary.

But by the time Clinton finally settled on that strategy to win the later primaries, it was too late.

Excerpts from the memos

"All of these articles about his boyhood in Indonesia and his life in Hawaii are geared towards showing his background is diverse, multicultural and putting that in a new light ... It also exposes a very strong weakness for him - his roots to basic American values and culture are at best (=even when considered in the most positive way) limited. I cannot imagine America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values." Strategist Mark Penn, from a March 19, 2007, memo to Hillary Rodham Clinton advising her to attack Barack Obama for his "lack of American roots."

Question: What does centre mean in the above context?

"The right knows Obama is unelectable except perhaps against Attila the Hun, and a third party would come in then anyway." Penn, from the same memo.

Question: Does right refer to right wing in the above context?

"This has been a very instructive call, talking to myself." Clinton, before angrily hanging up on a staff conference call the day after coming in third in Iowa in January. "She complained of being outmaneuvered (=to gain an advantage over someone by using cleverer or more skilful plans or methods) in Iowa and being painted as the establishment candidate," according to the Atlantic - but was met with near-silence.

Question: I would have written This has been..., talking to me. Why did she use myself?

Question: What is a conference call? Is it some kind of telephone call which address many poeple?

Question: Why is in used in coming in third?

"STOP IT!! I have help my tongue for weeks. After this morning's WP story, no longer. This makes me sick. This circular firing squad that is occurring is unattractive, unprofessional, unconscionable, and unacceptable ... It must stop." Robert Barnett, a Clinton lawyer and Washington insider, from a March 6, 2008, e-mail to campaign staff after a Washington Post story detailed the infighting.

Question: What does I have help my tongue for weeks mean?

Question: What does This circular firing squad mean?

Question: Were the comments in the last paragraph made by Robert Barnett?

punctuation

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:18:16 GMT

Hi,
Could I be able to use what I call "elaborate" punctuation in emails, like using semicolons and dashes?? Can you correct this?

eg,
I was expecting your email, Jane; I am glad to receive it. I have one question though: did you decide on your wedding date? Are you marrying the dashing fellow you were with at our high shool reunion few weeks ago? If that's him -- you are a lucky girl. He looked so nice and on top of that, he looked so gentlemanly (when and how can we use this "-ly" words??). Please let me know the details. Bye.

colon usage

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:27:31 GMT

Hi,

Please tell me if the usage here for a colon is correct. My assumption is the part following a colon gives details of the part that precedes it or elucidate something that is in the part that precedes it.

Reported speech is speech which tells ..., but does not use the actual words: for example, "They said you did it", "He told her Jane made it, ...

Re: Exhaustive Sentence + Semi-colon?

Thedynamix — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:59:56 GMT

Basically its time wasting to have communicate with a web developer to setup a conference... I built a program with a user-friendly, form-driven interface that means it totally cuts out the web developer from the equation, thus saving time. There is a significant time saved as well, especially when you consider all the updates that used to have to through the web developer every time.. Now anyone from any background, technical or not can build and manage their conference websites.

So in the sentence before the one i posted, it explains this. The sentence I posted just reiterates that with the example of the "ECEE" school in mind.

What you think?

colon usage

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:19:52 GMT

Hi,

How can you explain these colon uses? I think generally, a colon is used to when going general to specific, explaining or further elucidating a part of the general part, but some of these seem to do that but not convincingly.

1. And like most groups, we get frustrated when our political system is unable to produce a candidate we can support without qualification: there are compromises that must be made with every candidate. -- the second part seems to going over the concern, which is the their political system's inability to produce a candidate without qualification, but doesn't seem to fit the guidelines as clearly as I would like it to be.

2. It must also resist the insidious nature of entertainment discourse, which demands fragmentation, while having confidence it offers something more engaging than entertainment: narrative. -- this one, I cannot fit this to the guidelines. What does 'narrative' do for the first sentence.

Also, should I caplitalize the first letter of the word that comes after a colon?

Re: please correct this

Hoa Thai — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:55:47 GMT

I have a good piece of news to report: - a piece of good news?

Our Center just had a new computer room and bathroom installed. - Center - why capitalization?

came from the general contributions of our Mothers of Our Neighborhood Associations - general or generous?

and the local Business Men's Associations. â BMA - Why capitalization?

As you know, it took roughly three months to complete them and we, the staff at the Center, are happy to see them completed, â Could you reword your sentence without having to use âcompletedâ after âcompleteâ? I would also suggest that you replace the comma at the end with a full stop.

~~knowing how~~ They will help our children facilitate learning processes as they partake on our numerous academically oriented activities taught by certified teachers in their after-school hours. â The children do not facilitate the learning process, the staff do. You need to reword this sentence (shorten it or break it into two parts).

Well-built and built facilities â what do you mean?

can help maintain children's interest in their studiesâ need a full stop.

that has been one of my ~~fundamental~~ convictions â âhas beenâ? Show that your convictions are time independent.

that I held deeply for long as I was involved in this Center in various capacities. â Check verb tense! Did you forget another âasâ?

I also believe that our community has to take responsibility in providing good places to go to get supplementary education on our children's core courses once they are out-of-school;

1. has to take responsibility in â is responsible for?
2. The second part is too wordy. hint: for our children's after-school activities.
3. Replace semicolon with a full stop.

and we are proud to be one of those places. - we are the place?

A The new computer room with up-to-date, highly technical computers â what do you mean by âhighly technical computersâ? hard to manage and to learn?

will ensure that our children take full advantage of the latest technology to get ahead and also, - âtechnologyâ includes new / modern machines, and equipment. Therefore, it is redundant to mention âcomputersâ â I suggest that you reword the whole sentence. For example: The new computer room with the latest technology will ensure â¦.â

our new clean bathroom will help ensure they are clean and comfortable. Reword to rid of repetition.

Re: Is this a right use of a semicolon?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:06:16 GMT

I doubt that it is more nearly acceptable that we reproduce the exact same thread with a new date on it.

The word that I mispelled was "clause." If you reread the post, I misspelled several words. I was copying from the Gregg reference manual (an English grammar / usage reference manual) as fast as I could.

Re: Is this a right use of a semicolon?

Avangi — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:35:27 GMT

To avoid embarrassment, is there some convenient way to tell when an issue has been resolved, in case one fails to notice the date?

P.S. Anon: You misspelled "louse" in your last paragraph.