A Gentle Correction

Middle panel:

Why is it “we” and not “us”? Isn’t this like the slogan “Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch”? (That should date you if you remember that one.)

Well, “[x] students are behaving” is a subordinate clause (It’s a noun clause acting as the direct object of “observe”) and clauses have subjects. The subject is “x students.”

Why two words for the subject? It’s called an appositive. Examples: Blacksmith Bob, Farmer Jones, Bill the salesman. You could remove either word from the phrase and you’d have essentially the same meaning.

“We” is for subjects, and “us” is for objects, so there you have it.

And get rid of those Tareytons.

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

I have written about both of these words in the past (look them up in the search box in the upper right) but I found both of them in the same sentence, and they’re both correct! Couldn’t pass it up.

Whereas typical white dwarfs comprise carbon and oxygen, these stars are mostly composed of neon. 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/zombie-stars-shine-on-after-mystery-detonations/

—In a Scientific American article, naturally. They’re usually pretty good about getting these things right.

Remember the rules:

• Comprise goes from the whole to a list of parts
• Composed of goes from parts to the whole
• Never use “comprised of”! It’s a pretentiousism.

I like pictures, so here’s one from the article. The sentence refers to the single-pixel white spot in the middle of the donut. Look closely.

PS—For you picky, detail-oriented editors out there—The sentence refers to the dwarf star represented by the single-pixel white spot.

The rules:

• When you refer to a condition, use “if.” So if you say, “tell me if you’re sick,” it means you don’t have to say anything if you’re not sick.
• When you refer to a choice, use “whether.” So if someone asks, “Tell me whether you’re sick,” you’d reply “I’m sick” or “I’m feeling fine.”

Rule of thumb: “whether” implies that you have something equivalent to “or not” at the end.

This guy gets “whether” correct:

I’ve mentioned so-called “prepositions” at the end of sentences before, that they are okay because they are part of separable verbs. (A famous example: it’s okay to say “not put up with” rather than “up with which I will not put.”)

Here’s one that’s an actual preposition. Last sentence in the last panel:

The problem here is not just that it’s a preposition, but that it’s redundant. The sentence already mentions location with the word “where.”

So all you need to say is “Do you know where the crushed red pepper flakes are?”

When you’re talking about location, don’t end your sentence with “at.”

I preach conciseness as an important feature of good expository writing. This comic’s punchline is about her timing, but her summary of the whole Valentine legend is excellent:

She did it in five sentences. When I find an article on this topic, it’s usually several pages.

Be like her, but watch your timing, too.