AboutTed Nesbitt Expertise I am the bibliographic instruction and reference librarian at a public college. Some members of the English department recommend me to their students. I offer assistance in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph development. My master`s thesis concerns William Faulkner`s tragic novels. I formerly taught advanced placement English at two schools in the Philadelphia area.
Question I have some more questions:
1. Why does "also" not require commas in the middle of a sentence while "too" does (since they are both acting as adverbs)?
* He also went skiing.
* He, too, went skiing.
2. Does the sentence require a predicate nominative (technically, the pronoun is not renaming the subject)?
* I am not he.
3. I purchased the Oxford English Grammar (Sidney Greenbaum) and it does not mention "predicate nominative." I labored through pages discussing "predicate," "pronoun," and "nominative," but to no avail. Is there another term for this?
Answer Pat:
I WANTED TO ADD THIS FOLLOW-UP MESSAGE:
PAT, AS I INDICATED TO YOU, I DECIDED TO HELP YOU BY ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION, DESPITE THE TERRIBLE WEATHER WE WERE HAVING. I SPENT NEARLY TWO HOURS TRYING THE FIND THE INFORMATION FOR YOU. ONE OF YOUR QUESTIONS WAS VERY UNCLEAR TO ME, AND I INDICATED THAT TO YOU. BUT, I DID MY BEST TRYING TO HELP YOU.
FOR REASONS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, YOU READ MY ANSWER, BUT YOU DID NOT RESPOND IN ANY WAY -- SUCH AS COMPLETING THE EVALUATION FORM AND WRITING A BRIEF "THANK YOU." YOU COULD HAVE DONE THESE THINGS IN A FEW SECONDS. BUT, YOU COULDN'T SPEND A FEW SECONDS ACKNOWLEDGING MY TWO HOURS OF WORK.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I DO NOT GET PAID FOR ASSISTING PEOPLE WITH THEIR QUESTIONS? WE ARE "VOLUNTEERS."
IT IS VERY SAD THAT, WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO HELP ANOTHER PERSON, THE RECIPIENT OF THE HELP DOES NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND READ.
Ted Nesbitt
*******************************
I have stopped answering questions from people that I have not helped in the past, because very few -- almost none -- ever complete the evaluation form or express a simple "thank you." You've indicated that you have "some more questions," so I must have responded to you in the past.
We are having a terrible thunderstorm here, so I'll make this as brief as possible, before my computer/electricity goes.
Question:
I have some more questions:
1. Why does "also" not require commas in the middle of a sentence while "too"
does (since they are both acting as adverbs)?
* He also went skiing.
* He, too, went skiing.
1. From Vanguard University [its website has the most complete explanation, so I have copied it] --
Use a comma to separate a transitional expression* from the rest of the clause.
Example: Standing up for God under persecution is, indeed, difficult at times.
Example: We will not, however, extinguish power of the Holy Spirit.
*Common transitional expressions:
illustration: for example, for instance, to illustrate
addition: too, also, furthermore, similarly, moreover
emphasis: indeed, in fact, most important, above all
restatement: that is, to sum up
summary: in short, to sum up
logical result: therefore, consequently, so, as a result, thus, hence
counterpoint: however, on the contrary, nevertheless
concession: it is true, granted, admittedly, to be sure
alternatives: on the one hand, on the other hand
**** So, both "too" and "also" CAN BE set off with commas, but they do not HAVE to be. These adverbs are placed immediately after the pronoun to add emphasis. They can be placed elsewhere in the sentence. For instance: He went skiing also. He went skiing too.
I personally prefer setting off both "too" and "also" with commas, but it is not a requirement.
Common usage, however, generally uses the commas for "too," but not for "also."
2. Does the sentence require a predicate nominative (technically, the pronoun
is not renaming the subject)?
* I am not he.
***** I am not sure what your question is. If you are simply answering a question like "Are you in favor of the proposal?," the answer would be "I am not." However, the situation is different for this scenario: "You look like a man I knew about twenty years ago." "Sorry, I am not he." [he = that man]
3. I purchased the Oxford English Grammar (Sidney Greenbaum) and it does not
mention "predicate nominative." I labored through pages discussing "predicate,"
"pronoun," and "nominative," but to no avail. Is there another term for this?
***** It is called "subject complement." It is also called a "predicate noun" OR a "predicate adjective," depending on which part of speech it is.
Sorry this has taken so long. The electricity went off twice, but I was able to save what I wrote.
