Dear Mr. B:

You wrote:

In one of my essays at school, I wrote “… and I doubt that was the idea”. This was then changed by my teacher to “… and I doubt that that was the idea”. I thought the second “that” wasn’t required, but I’m unsure. Can you help?
Your grammar is correct. In modern English, the relative conjunction “that” is often dropped.
He said that he was a cowboy.
He said he was a cowboy.
It can be dropped in the example you gave as well.

Having said that, your teacher is correcting your style, not your grammar. While your sentence is grammatically correct, it can be confusing to the reader because the remaining “that” is the subject of the clause, a demonstrative pronoun, but it might be read as the relative pronoun and would cause the reader to stumble. Especially in formal writing, or writing that you want to make clear, it is better to include both the relative and demonstrative pronouns.

Dear Mrs. H:

You wrote:

Is it necessary to include commas in the following text between ‘and/two, years/in’?
“She lives with her husband and two children aged five and two years in a suburb of N——”

No commas are needed. The conjunction and preposition do the job. If the phrase “in a suburb of N” began the sentence, then you would need a comma because it is separated from the word it modifies.

…and in the following text between ‘children/some’?
“is currently caring for three children some part-time.”

Yes, you do need a comma or dash here because the modifier follows the noun it modifies. This is somewhat unusual, but “some” clearly modifies “children” so that is what you go with. If the sentence were to read simply “part time” without the “some,” then it would be a simple adverb and there would be no need of a comma.

…and in the following text between times/such?
“They learn the importance of good hygiene practices and personal care at appropriate times such as washing their hands before meals and snacks.”

First of all, I would rewrite this sentence. If you are stuck with it because you are quoting someone, you should have a comma. The phrase beginning with “such as” modifies ”practices” and “care,” not “times.” Since the adjective phrase is separated from the words it modifies, it should be separated by a comma.

This run-on should be written as two sentences, something like the following:

They learn the importance of timing good hygienic practices and personal care. For example, they learn to wash their hands before meals and snacks.

Dear N:

You wrote:

Are all these sentences correct? In which cases, does “unfortunately” apply to both clauses and in which cases only to the first?

1-Unfortunately, two people were injured; also, a few windows were broken.

This is correct. Because of the parallel construction of the two clauses, we would understand that “unfortunately” only went with the first clause and “also” went with the second clause.

2-Unfortunately, two people were injured; and also, a few windows were broken.

This would probably not be punctuated with a semicolon because of the conjunction “and.”

3-Unfortunately, two people were injured, and also, a few
windows were broken.

This is grammatical but probably would not be used in formal English. The same parallel construction with the adverbs as #1 applies.

4-Unfortunately, two people were injured; and a few windows were broken.

Same as #2.

5-Unfortunately, two people were injured, and a few windows were broken.

This is punctuated OK, and the “unfortunately” would be understood by most to apply to both clauses.

If you wanted to insure that the “Unfortunately” applied to both clauses, use a correlative conjunction like “not only…but also” or, perhaps, “both…and.” (“Both” and “two” together would sound awkward, though.)

Example – Unfortunately, not only were two people injured, but a few windows were broken also.

Or, to put more emphasis on the personal injuries rather than the broken windows:

Unfortunately, not only were a few windows broken, but two people were injured also.

Dear T:

You wrote:

Which is correct?
a. Discussed all issues with the Reinholdt’s.
b. Discussed all issues with the Reinholds.

Choice “b” is correct. Apostrophes are used for possessives. For a simple plural, even of names, add “s” or “es” with no apostrophe.

We discussed all issues with the Reinholdts. (plural)
We discussed all issues with the Reinholdts’ lawyer. (plural possessive modifying “lawyer”)
We discussed all issues with Mr. Reinholdt’s lawyer. (singular possessive modifying “lawyer”)
We discussed all issues with the Joneses. (plural adding “es”)

For more on this see “Apostophes Showing Possession” in Grammar Slammer or https://www.englishplus.com/grammar/00000131.htm online.

First of all, I’d like to thank you for such a great website! It has been very enlightening!

I have a question about this symbol: { } What is the name of this symbol and also what is the correct usage of it?

I tried looking up bracket, but that is this [ ].

Dear A:

These are called “wavy brackets” (USA), “curly braces” (UK), or something similar. They really have no function in grammar or writing at all. They are sometimes used in mathematics and in computer programming where they function as an alternate to parentheses or brackets.

Occasionally, a single wavy bracket turned with the open end down is used in proofreading to show words that should be united.

I hope this helps.

I checked your site but can’t find the information I need. How can I explain the correct usages of “if…not” and “unless”?

I’ll go to the game if it doesn’t rain.
I’ll go to the game unless it rains.
(both OK, right?)

I’d like her if she didn’t wear so much make up.
I’d like her unless she didn’t wear so much make up.
(the second sentence is wrong, right?)

What’s/what are the rules for using these?

I’ve been asked and I’d REALLY appreciate your help!!

Dear Mr. E:

The word “unless” is actually a negative. (“Lest” is the somewhat old-fashioned positive). The second sentence in your second set is really a double negative. Double negatives are considered ungrammatical and confusing. That last sentence is a bit confusing…

I am writing school report comments. My comment could read “John is achieving at a level above that expected of a student in the year group and is making good progress.” I have been told that in this sentence I must use a capital L for level and a capital Y for year.

Could you please give me your opinion.

Dear Mr. H:

There does not appear to be any reason to capitalize either. Neither appears to be a proper name. You would only capitalize if you were naming a specific year group or if the level had a proper name.

Examples: He is the valedictorian of his class.
She is the valedictorian of the Class of 2005. (Here the class is named).

I hope this helps.

I understand the contraction of “it’s,” but am confused on possession. If I use an object as opposed to a person, how is “it” used? For example, “the force of an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration.” Would it be “it’s” mass and “it’s” acceleration? Wouldn’t it be “Joe’s mass and the wheel’s acceleration?

My son is writing a report and wants it to be perfect.

Dear G:

No. You write “its mass” or “its acceleration.” When you write the possessive of nouns, you do spell the word with an apostrophe to distinguish it from a plural. However, “its” is a personal pronoun, and personal pronouns do not use apostrophes: “his dog” or “that cat is hers.” (We do not write, “hi’s dog,” for example.) It’s the same with “its.”

Dear English Plus:

-My jaw is protruding.

Can “prodruding” be an adjective in the above sentence? Can the sentence mean that I have a protruding jaw?

Dear N:

That would be exactly what it would mean in most cases.

N: As in: That film is amusing.=That film is an amusing film.

EP: Exactly.

N: To me it sounds as if in 1, the jaw is protruding temporarily and in order to say that it is a protruding jaw, one has to say: “My jaw protrudes”.

EP: No. If it were temporary–e.g., if someone were pouting–you would be more likely to use the basic or perfect tenses. If it were temporary, though, you would probably use another verb such as “I was pouting” or “My jaw jutted out.” “Protruding jaw” is an anatomical or physiological condition.

The difference between a progressive tense and a predicate adjective using a present participle is often a matter of context or use. In the case of “protruding” and “jaw,” these two words are commonly used together. Indeed, “protruding” probably modifies “jaw” more than any other word. The word “protrude” tends to be only used in a medical or scientific context. “Protruding jaw” is really the most common use of any form of the verb in everyday speech.