Q. I have a question that my colleague and I can’t find a definitive answer to, and that is whether less or fewer is used with countable, but singular, nouns. For example, “one less/fewer group,” “one less/fewer number,” and so on.
A. If the countable noun is plural, choose fewer; if it’s singular, choose less. (When CMOS says to reserve fewer for countable things, it’s talking about plural countable things. When it says to reserve less for mass nouns, it means singular mass nouns.) One is always singular: there is one less food group in the new pyramid; there is one less number in this column. Two (or more) is plural: there are two fewer food groups in the new pyramid; there are three fewer numbers in this column.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Please give me your thoughts on subject/verb agreement in the following construction: “History, and the efforts of many people, [have or has] given this island a valuable gift.” Does an and phrase set off in commas change the number of the verb?
A. It doesn’t. Treat the text between commas as though it were in parentheses. But while you’re at it, notice that the construction is awkward. You aren’t sure which verb to use because neither singular nor plural sounds or looks right. That means no matter which you choose, some readers are also going to think it doesn’t sound right. It would be better to use parentheses or reword the sentence.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m trying to get clarification on the shined/shone issue, as all the sources I have found seem to differ, and it is driving me crazy. Can you confirm for me, once and for all, the use of each of these? Would the following sentence use shined or shone, for instance? Mary shone/shined the flashlight in front of them to light the way.
A. Please see CMOS 5.250:
shine. When this verb is intransitive, it means “to give or make light”; the past tense is shone {the stars shone dimly}. When it is transitive, it means “to cause to shine”; the past tense is shined {the caterer shined the silver}.
So the flashlight shone (gave or made light) because Mary shined it (caused it to shine) in front of them. (Note that “causing something to shine” has more than one meaning. Presumably, Mary didn’t shine her flashlight along with her forks.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. The following wording seems problematic to me: “Additional software may be required to use the fingerprint reader.” This could be interpreted to mean that the software might have to use the fingerprint reader. Your thoughts?
A. There is certainly room for misunderstanding. Transposing into the active voice might help: The fingerprint reader may require additional software.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I received a lease agreement and am questioning the meaning of one line in it. The line says, “Landlord will be responsible for any structural or major maintenance and repairs, other than routine maintenance and repairs that are not due to Tenant’s misuse.” I believe this means that the landlord will not be responsible for repairs that are not due to tenant’s misuse, whereas I’m being told that it means that the landlord will not be responsible for repairs that are due to tenant’s misuse.
A. That messy sentence is almost impossible to figure out. It appears to be an instance of misnegation; the writer probably didn’t mean what the sentence actually says. Unfortunately, I’m afraid you need a lawyer, not a style guide.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Which is correct? “Because of the affect/effect of unpaid interest, your loan balance has become larger than its cash value.”
Q. I’m confused over when to use the article the in expressions like “the British psychiatrist Michael Rutter’s study.” Although readers will know it might not be the case, to me, using the makes that person the only one in that field.
A. It’s just a matter of how you read it. When you see that the name Michael Rutter is a restrictive appositive defining which British psychiatrist we’re talking about, the does not make him the only British psychiatrist—quite the contrary. See CMOS 5.23.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. When used in footnotes what does the Latin word pace mean?
A. Pace is Latin for “in peace,” and in footnotes it means something like “no offense intended” toward a person or source that you are contradicting. For example,
This conclusion is usually incorrect (pace Smith and Jones 1999).
Although in Chicago style familiar Latin terms are set in roman type, put pace in italics if there’s danger of mistaking it for the English word pace.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is it incorrect to use “and then” when stating the multiple actions of an individual? E.g., “She glanced around the room and then exited for the last time.” If it’s better to omit the and, does that mean there should be a comma in place of the and? How about in this sentence: “He got a DUI then resisted arrest”? Should there be a comma before then?
A. No, yes, and yes. It’s fine to write “and then” as you did in your first sentence. If you leave out and, add a comma before then: “He got a DUI, then resisted arrest.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am unsure of how to handle subject-verb agreement in sentences that involve em dashes or parentheses. For example, “The president (and, to some extent, Congress) is committed to the policy” or “The president—and, to some extent, Congress—is committed to the policy.” Is it correct to treat the subject in each of these sentences as singular or plural?
A. Singular. Choose a verb as though the parenthetical “afterthought” weren’t there. (This is true if the afterthought is set off by commas as well.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]