Double possessive
Dear Dr English,
I found this phrase in a magazine, ÒA friend of mineÕs dad worked in the business...Ó. ShouldnÕt the expression be Òa friend of my dadÓ instead?
Naret Sinsaeng
No, but it is all right to say it like that; I do admit that it can be confusing, though. The phrase refers to Òthe father of a friend of mineÓ not Òa friend of my fatherÓ.
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What's that comma doing there?
Dear Dr English,
What is the comma in ÒCo., Ltd.Ó for? I think both of the punctuation marks express the existence of the abbreviation. But I donÕt understand why there should be a comma. The original phrase ÒCompany LimitedÓ doesnÕt have it.
Sho Naruse
This particular punctuation mark is there to prevent confusion because ÒCompany LimitedÓ is counted as two words.
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Inversion
Dear Dr English,
I would like to know how sentences like, ÒShould you have any problem .../Never has she been called by such/Under no circumstances should the animal be allowed to...Ó are constructed and when to use them. Could you please explain?
Mana Mungkijkasem
This type of structure is called inversion, that is, changing the normal word order in a sentence by putting part of or the entire verb group before the subject. Usually an auxiliary verb is used before the subject, and the rest of the verb group is placed after the subject. A question is also a type of inversion. The structures that you have mentioned in your question are used in formal speech or writing. The broad negative adverbs or other negative adverbs are put at the beginning of a clause for emphasis.
Never in our lifetime have we witnessed such a tragic event. (We have never witnessed such a tragic event in our lifetime.)
Under no circumstances should the animal be allowed to roam freely. (The animal should not be allowed to roam freely under any circumstance).
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