Week 12 - Back in the saddle

Big project at work -- sorry for the hiatus. I just got re-inspired by reading a friend's blog, even though the spreadsheets beckon.

Before we get started with the grammar, I'll pass along a little kitchen humor overheard recently:

"Dad, who's making charcoal in the toaster oven?" and
"Don't you wish Mom would stop using the smoke alarm for a kitchen timer?"

[This latter not true, of course, but it makes a good story....]


Now, let's clean up a little old business. I said in Week 8 that I didn't have a good mnemonic for the use of "principal" as a noun, but my brother Dan pointed out that "principal" ends in "pal," obviously a person of some sort, while "principle" doesn't, meaning it must be a thing. Thanks, Dan.


Which vs. that

I prefer gas stations which are on the right-hand side of the road.

Elke likes designer boots, which often make quite a fashion statement.

Grammar experts will tell you that the sentence about gas stations above should be written

I prefer gas stations that are on the right-hand side of the road.

since the clause "that are on the right-hand side of the road" is a restrictive clause, one that narrows down the field of gas stations to just some of the possibilities, and you always use "that" rather than "which" if the clause is restrictive.

In the second example, the clause "which often make quite a fashion statement" is a nonrestrictive clause -- it doesn't narrow down the field of designer boots, it merely adds something about all of them. "Which" should be used instead of "that" for a nonrestrictive clause, and since that type of clause is parenthetical, it should be preceded by a comma.

She also likes small dogs, which usually eat less than big ones.

Other people prefer small dogs that eat a lot, since they seem so healthy.

In these last two examples, the usage of "which" and "that" is correct in each case. In the first sentence, we're saying that all small dogs usually eat less than big ones -- the "which" clause is nonrestrictive. In the second sentence, the clause "that eat a lot" is restrictive, since it divides the field of small dogs into those that eat like birds and those that eat like pigs.

Talking about the word "that" reminds me to mention again the conversation we had in Week 3, when we agreed that in written English, "that" refers back to things, and "who" refers back to people. The following sentence is correct twice:

The students who [not "that"] gave the correct answers in class were enthusiastic; the rewards were candies that they really liked.


Revert back vs. revert

This is an easy one: "revert" means "go back," so when you say "revert back," you're really saying "go back back," which is redundant. So always say "revert" when you're tempted to say "revert back."


Hopefully vs. I hope

This one is getting so ingrained, at least in spoken English, that it may be a lost cause by now. 'Hopefully" is an adverb, so I should say

I hope Sheila will enjoy her new job.

The sentence we hear more often,

Hopefully, Sheila will enjoy her new job.

means that Sheila, looking for ways to enjoy her new job, will try to do it hopefully, rather than, say, joyously, or frivolously, or occasionally, or some other way.


In vs. within

People have started using "within" when they don't need to -- I'm not sure why. Most of the time when you're tempted to say "within," you should just say "in" instead.

There are at least a hundred departments and centers within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

This sentence should use "in" in place of "within." "Within" doesn't add anything -- it should be reserved for more esoteric situations, like

Our most enthusiastic employees find ways to tap into the passion that lies within.


We've been serious for quite awhile now, so let's close with a bit of levity. I got this request from a female colleague the other day in an email:

"I'm confused by these fringe rates, so please bare with me."

All these years, and I never realized that research administration could be so much fun!