Search results for 'tag:Present tenses tag:Colons' matching tags 'Present tenses' and 'Colons'

Re: An issue with Quotation.

Dysphoria_ — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:06:39 GMT

I have to leave my paper in present tense, so the ed's can't get put in. (I know "BAH! MLG!" - haha. I had to re-write my entire paper to fix that.)

And I was thinking that the semi-colon should be omitted also, but I'm not sure.

Sighness.

Thanks again^.^

Re: tense checking

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:07:32 GMT

Thank you. It will take some time to reflect upon your response. As to your question of where I wanted to put a semicolon, it was in the underlined part. I was pretty sure a semicolon is appropriate but wanted to confirm.

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.

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.

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.

Re: Semi colon or colon?

Peaceblinkfriend — Sat, 19 May 2007 14:51:44 GMT

Mister Micawber wrote:

I much prefer the first (except it should of course read 'with the'). I suppose the second is possible, but generally the information following a colon is detail rather than an alternative.

Hi Mister Micawber

I wonder how you should pronounce the word 'read' here. Is it in the past tense or present tense ? I would really appreicate if you could explain that.

Thank you very much for your help.

Ernest

Re: "and" and comma

Lovek323 — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:06:34 GMT

Question 1
Although the question has already been answered, I should like to comment on why arise is the correct choice. The subject of the clause should any difference arise is difference, which is singular and third person. One of the fundamental principles of English grammar is that the subject and verb must agree in number and person. Thus, as the subject is third person singular, the verb must also be third person singular. (A more thorough explanation would discuss number and person.)

For all verbs except to be, number and person only affect the present tense. The -s ending is used for the third person singular and the uninflected (unchanged) form is used for the rest:

My neighbours annoy me.
My dog annoys me.

The uninflected form annoy is used when the subject is a plural noun phrase ("my neighbours" above) or one of the pronouns I, we, you (sg. or pl.), or they. The -s ending is appended when the subject is a singular noun phrase or one of the third person singular personal pronouns (he, she, or it).

Question 2
As has already been pointed out, neither of the proposed sentences was correct. A sufficient response has been given as to the reason behind the choice of a semi colon, even if it was unnecessarily cerebral (just kidding).

Re: no answer or no answers

Grammar Geek — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 22:23:11 GMT

Hi Believer,

1 - Both of your "Which... is correct" are okay, to my ears.

If you are speaking in the present tense, I still HAVE no answer or answers, depending on the context.

I've been strugging with this math problem for an hour, but I still have no answer. (A single answer to the math problem.)

I've asked many people about the meaning of life, but I still have no answers. ("Answers" to a larger, metaphysical question.)

If you are in the past, then "got" is okay, but it read funny to me at first, assuming that you meant the present.

2. Because I'm a nut about this, I would rewrite it: "Who invented the telephone?" And I'd rather have "who is... who" than a that.

I agree that sometimes it's useful as a restrictve clause, to differentiate the person from others in a similar group: My husband that is six feet tall was able to put the glasses on the top shelf - leads you to wonder how many husbands I have, versus My husband, who is six feet tall, was able to put the glasses on the top shelf.

But I admit it - I'm a jerk about this. When I was single, I wouldn't answer the personal ad for someone who wrote "I'm looking for a woman that..." - I got to that, and I was done. If he couldn't say "a woman WHO" I wasn't going to read any more. (Unless he was really cute ) So I'm probably not your best gauge. Clive has his semi-colon aversion, and I have this.

Re: To Pedantic. Questions

MrPedantic — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 09:11:42 GMT

Hello Sextus, how have you been?

1) Yes, [a good]. Perhaps also [such as ataraxia].

2) Fine - you could reinforce it with a semi-colon before 'so that'.

3) Maybe [belief that things are good or bad by nature].

4) It's fine if you've prepared the reader. Are you able to say: 'state of [technical word/phrase for this in Greek, which I can't remember]? Or use 'suspensive attitude'?

5) OK - 'and intrinsic' or 'or intrinsic'?

6) Ditto - is an 'or' possible here?

7) It is quite difficult to follow. NB [fully-fledged]. 'Continual investigation' is an investigation to which you keep returning; 'continuing i.' is an 'ongoing i.' (though unfortunately the latter now has distinct overtones of 'criminal investigation' - it's the phrase the police use when briefing the press).

9) ?[conditioned by the circumstantial factors that influence him] - ?tautologous.

[stopped to appear] > [ceased to appear]

10) I would say 'sought' for 'seeks', or change the whole 'If' sentence to present tense and 'would' to 'will'.

11) ?proved - 'demonstrated'?

I don't myself mind [philanthropic motor], but it may strike some as odd. 'Impetus' and 'motivation' are blander alternatives.

12) Yes, fine. You could omit the 'had', as you have already defined 'when' ('at the beginning').

13) It sounds fine to me.

14) Fine. 'Return to this point' is probably slightly more common.

15) It should really be 'lies in the fact'; but that's ruled out by the following 'fact'. You could simply say 'view is that they'.

16) It is slightly difficult to follow - mainly at and after 'a priori'.

17) Either 'enough of', though that sounds a bit colloquial; or 'enough disputing'.

18) You would have to say 'what/that which he wished for'. Maybe 'desired'?

19) [the Skeptic will not stop being such] - maybe 'will not stop being a Skeptic'?

20) Fine.

21) Fine.

22)[proceeds with caution] is fine. 'Supervene + adverbial phrase' seems OK too.

23) 'Philosophy book' isn't quite in keeping with your tone (cf 'poetry book' - infra dig.). Maybe 'philosophical work'.

24) Yes, 'a Skeptic'.

25) Fine. 'Individualistic' perhaps has too C20 an air.

26) I would say âand the latterâ.

27) It does sound slightly 'official'. Maybe 'account'.

28) Fine.

29) 'So as' slightly duplicates 'with the object'. Could you say:

âFor, having begun to philosophize with the object of distinguishing true from false appearances, and thereby attaining unperturbedness...',

[disagreement of equal force] troubles me a little. I suppose the sense here is 'equilibrium of contending opposites'. There must be a common phrase for this.

30) Commas fine.

31) Clear to me, yes.

32) Perhaps report > account. If 'gave', I would put 'did' for 'does'. Or gave > give.

33) I think so, yes.

34) Perhaps insert 'therefore' before 'spontaneously'?

The enumeration after 'without' is fine. I myself would write it thus:

âIn sum, it appears to the Pyrrhonian âsoul-doctorâ that something is wrong with his patients, and he is therefore spontaneously led to think of a corresponding treatment - without believing, however, that they really are ill; that his philanthropy is something good in itself; that the treatment he uses is the one that must be applied from an objective point of view; or that the state of suspension which the treatment supposedly helps to attain is objectively beneficial.â

But that's only personal preference.

35) Maybe:

âThat is, it appears to the Pyrrhonist that it is not entirely possible to avoid hunger and thirst, and hence to avoid the desire to eat and drink. On the contrary, he is aware that as long as he acts according to a given set of laws and customs, he necessarily and involuntarily appears to be acting in a certain way, but that his acting according to those particular laws and customs is neither inevitable nor unalterableâ.

36) âHe neither believes that demonstrating to his patients the apparent equipollence of the opposed views on a given topic is the objectively correct treatment to apply against conceit and rashness, nor affirms that the final state of suspension that will apparently result from this treatment is good in itself.â

I think 'where you have to draw breath' is a good guide for comma-positioning in these cases!

37) Fine; or did you mean 'literal sense'?

See you
MrP

Re: Someone help me pleaseeeee!!!!

edwy — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 10:53:58 GMT

Pilita,

I think your problem is that you are inconsistent. Some of your sentences are perfectly correct, but then you make elementary mistakes in other sentences that seem to show that you haven't totally understood why your best sentences are as good as they are!

For example, your sentence: "Anaâs self esteem is strong, but she is being put down by her mother". It's perfect - you use the verbs corrrectly, and even use a complex verb formation - she is being put down - in exactly the right way. However, in your next sentence you write: "Ana is insecure about her physical appearance, however, she overcome that task by accepting herself as a person". Here the verb "overcome" is wrong because the third person singular requires "overcomes" in the present tense. (Or you could also say "has overcome", which implies a slightly different meaning). I might be inclined to change the first comma to a semi-colon, as that would make it clear that "however" belongs to the second part of the sentence rather than the first.

Another sentence that needs a bit of thought is: "One is dramatic and strong moral and the other open mind and confidence". You need to think about the "parts of speech" that are needed here. "Moral" should be "morally", because you need an adverb to describe in what way she is strong ("is strong" is taken here to be a verbal construction). You could also phrase this as "and has strong morals". The second part of the sentence is a mess. Where is the verb? You could rely on "is", but you must then use the right type of word - adjectives rather than nouns. I would prefer a second "is", so that the whole sentence would read "One is dramatic and strong morally and the other is open minded and confident."

Read through it again and try to spot other places where these points apply - there are plenty to choose from! Re-read your opening sentence, then try it again with the first word - "In" - removed. Which is better?

Regards,

Edwy