Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

I know it's generally proper to say "neither is ...," but the following makes me wonder. Consider this sentence:

"Neither the dates nor the times _____ in dispute."

Should it be "is" merely because "neither" always requires the singular verb, or do I say "are," because "dates" and "times" are plural? If the latter, what if I change it to read:

"Neither the dates nor the place _____ in dispute."
-- or --
"Neither the place nor the dates _____ in dispute."

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

If I am trying to say the following sentence -“That is what one of my friends back home told me.”, do I use “friends’” or “friend’s” in that scenario?

Thank you for your help!

Jeremy

A:

The apostrophe would show possession, as in, "This is my friend's house". In this case, you have more than one friend, so it's plural, or just "friends".

The only other uses of the apostrophe you'll see are contractions, like "it's" for "it is".

So, to sum it up . . . use "friends".

Hope this helps!

Q:

What is the proper way of writing...March 30th is Doctor's Day or Doctors' Day.

Happy Doctor's Day or Happy Doctors' Day

Nick

A:

Hi, and thanks for writing!

This is a battle we grammarians are losing . . .

If there is more than one doctor, it is doctors' day, if there is only one doctor, it is doctor's day.

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

When do you use would or could in a sentence?

If you feel that any of your patients would/could benefit from chiropractic care please keep our office in mind.

Thanks,

Tracy

A:

In this context, "would" is definite, but conditional--it will happen if certain conditions are met. "Could" is a possibility--it may or may not come to be.

Think of it this way:

Would's root word is "will"

Could's root word is "can" - you can substitute it with "might" or "maybe."

Here are some examples (assume the speaker isn't lying!:

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

Can one sit in the floor? Can one drop something in the floor?

Mindy

A:

Dear Mindy,

I'm afraid not. "In" means that something is actually inside the object. For example, a nail can be "in" the floor, but a rug cannot. A rug would be "on" the floor. In other words, a table is in the room, but the table is on the floor.

So, in both of your examples, the correct word is "on".

Hope this helps!

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop:

I was hoping you could clear up something for me. My husband always corrects me when we e-mail or IM and I use "your". He says it should be "You're". Will you clarify what the correct grammatical applications are for each one.

My understanding is "You're" is short for "you are". Example: You're not buying a new computer.
"Your" is more of a possesive pronoun. Example: Your computer is very slow.

Sincererly,
Alexis M

A:

Dear Alexis,

You’re 100% correct . . .

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

Why when you use "don't" it is do not (two separate words), but when using "can't" it is spelled out as one word, cannot?

suzee

A:

Dear Suzee,

Tough question!

There is little rhyme or reason to some of the conventions that have become standards, and this is one just of those things that isn't consistent in our language.

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

When you have a sentence, "All in all it was a great experience, and one that will hopefully provide me with a solid background."

Do you hyphenate All-in-all or is it just All in all?

Thank you.

Sue G

A:

Dear Sue,

I would not hyphenate ‘all in all’.

I would suggest using ‘altogether’ instead, though, since it’s not such a cliché. Also, the word ‘hopefully’ is more properly replaced by ‘I hope’.

So, in my stylistic opinion, the sentence should read:

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop:

When listing a series of items such as apples, pears, and peaches, should a comma be used after the word and? I was taught not to use a comma. My children are being taught to use the comma as written above. Was I taught incorrectly or has the rule changed over the years?

Mom of 2nd grader

A:

Dear Mom of 2nd Grader,

There is some debate on how to use commas in lists, but I have not seen anybody recommend the use as you are suggesting.

Personally, I prefer to exclude a comma before the ‘and’:

Q:

Dear Grammer Cop,

I come across this word used in sentences and would like to know if this is the proper use for this word.

Example: He blew and engine.

It seems to me that the proper way to write that would be:

He blew an engine.

I have seen the word "and" used this way many times. Is the word "and" and "an" interchangeable?

Wendy

A:

Dear Wendy,

No, I'm afraid that 'and' and 'an' are not interchangeable, and whoever writes a sentence, "He blew and engine." is simply using the wrong word.