Q. Do you have the definitive word on the following: “A is 29% greater than B” (as, for example, when A costs $1.29 and B costs $1.00)? I’m bothered by the use of a percentage less than 100, immediately followed by the “greater than” phrase, which I think is self-contradictory. In this specific case, I think A is actually 129% greater than B. If A cost less than B, it would be some percentage less than 100; if it costs more, then it must be some percentage greater than 100. Any comments?
A. Yes. I’m afraid that the definitive word (from a University of Chicago mathematician) is: you are wrong. Sorry! But evidently the phrase “greater than” is not the same as “of” (which means “times,” mathematically speaking). So in this case “A is 129% of B” is the same as “A is 29% greater than B.” (If B is $1.00, then A is $1.29.) “A is 129% greater than B” would mean that to find A, you would have to add B + 129% of B. (If B is $1.00, then A is $2.29.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Help us out if you please. We are debating whether the following incomplete sentence (it’s used in
a table) takes singular or plural verbs. “A tool applied to data that identifies consumer goods, defines
their characteristics, and describes their method choice behaviors.”
A. The problem here is compounded because the noun “data” can be either singular
or plural. If you use singular verbs, the verbs can refer to either “tool” or
“data” (resulting in some ambiguity); if you use the plural, they must go with
“data.” I’m not sure which of the two meanings you intend.
If you want to modify “tool,” you might reword slightly: “A
tool that, when applied to data, identifies consumer goods, . . .”
If you want to modify “data,” use the plural to avoid the ambiguity.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am continually encountering extremely long lists ending with “as well as X”
in this construction: “I talked about A, B, C, D, E, and F as well as X.” In 95
percent of these cases, X is not comparative, contrastive, or emphatic but merely a last-minute tack-on to the list. (Otherwise,
I would probably use a dash or comma.) Given these circumstances, should a comma always precede “as
well as”? I work at a highly political nonprofit where I am not always allowed to rephrase even minor
things (big egos). Sometimes correct revisions are vetoed, and incorrect punctuation, improper word usage or citation formatting,
grammatical mistakes, and misspellings are published rather than risk offending the original author.
A. A comma is optional in that position. The construction “E, F, as well as X,”
however, should be changed, either by inserting “and” before F or by changing “as well as” to “and.”
(I hope your readers don’t base their donations on the quality of your publications.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am the copy editor for a nonprofit organization, and we recently hired a new publications director. One of his style preferences
drives some of us crazy, and I was hoping you might help, as we are supposed to be following The Chicago Manual of Style. Anyway, I think this might be more of a personal choice instead of a style decision: the problem is that he insists on leaving
in or adding unnecessary “thats,” even if the other editors feel they bog down
the sentences. Example: I had a sentence that read, “It is important for mental health workers to understand
the vital role companion animals play in their clients’ lives.” Per his choice,
it now reads, “It is important for mental health workers to understand the vital role that companion
animals play in their clients’ lives.” I know it’s not incorrect
to add the “thats,” but I believe they make the text sound sloppy. What do you
think?
A. You’re right; it is a personal choice, and among the editors here you probably wouldn’t
get a consensus in many cases. I myself find the opposite practice annoying, when that is omitted in sentences like “The agents reported substantial delays took place at the station.”
The reader stumbles, taking delays as the object of reported rather than as the subject of another clause. (Newspaper editors are the least tolerant of the optional that —I challenge you to find one in the Chicago Tribune.) I always add a that when such ambiguity exists, and I tend to like the sound of it in any case.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I cannot find a reference to this in my Manual: because versus since. I have been tutored that because is used for instances of cause/effect and that since is for time. However, one of my authors is a scholar who contends that “since denotes a state of being based on a relationship. . . . Because implies causality between one aspect of that relationship and the other.” Can you explain this to me
more clearly or refute it altogether?
A. All you need is a dictionary—you and your author seem to be following variations on an old superstition.
CMOS covers this in the “Word Usage” section under the word since: “This word may relate either to time {since last winter} or to causation {since I’m
a golfer, I know what ‘double bogey’ means}. Some writers erroneously believe
that the word relates exclusively to time. But the causal since was a part of the English language before Chaucer wrote in the fourteenth century, and it is useful as a slightly milder
way of expressing causation than because. But where there is any possibility of confusion with the temporal sense, use because.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I work for an insurance company, and one of our beloved underwriters is disputing an exclusion in our policy that specifies
“while piloting or serving as a crewmember in a plane.” She wants it to read,
“while piloting or serving as a crewmember on a plane.” I can think of ways to
defend both, but I’d love to know which is correct.
A. In English it’s rare that there is only one correct way to say something, but if you think that “on
a plane” could technically mean sitting on top of the plane, that would be a pretty exclusive exclusion.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. We are having a bit of a debate down here—in a manuscript, one of our authors refers to a person who keeps a journal as a “journaler.” The author prefers “journaler” to “diarist” because she feels that they are two separate things. The copyeditor wants to change “journaler” to “journalist” (the second definition of “journalist” is “a person who keeps a journal”), but I think that would be confusing to a reader. “Journalizer” appears in Merriam-Webster but doesn’t seem right either. Any opinions?
A. Let me guess: this author also uses the verb “to journal.” If this is the kind of book that allows a person to journal, you may as well call the perpetrator a journaler. Alternatives might be “journal keeper,” “writer,” “author,” or “narrator.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. When is it correct to use “if” and when is it correct to use “whether?” Thank you.
A. “Whether” should be used to introduce a noun clause: He asked whether his hat was on straight. It is especially helpful to use “whether” (1) when the noun clause begins the sentence: Whether the hat stayed on his head was of tremendous importance to him; and (2) when the use of “if” would result in ambiguity. “He asked me to tell him if his bald spot was showing” is often taken to mean that I should tell him whether it’s showing or not, whereas it literally means that if I can’t see his scalp, I can keep quiet. Because the popular meaning is different from the literal meaning, there is ambiguity. “He asked me to tell him whether his bald spot was showing” clearly means that I should tell him whether it’s showing or not. So use “whether” to introduce an alternative; avoid substituting “if” for “whether” unless perhaps you want to strike an informal tone, as in true-to-life dialogue.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Recently I was trying to determine (once again) whether subjects should be considered singular or plural when they are of the following form: rock(s). Personally, I think the simplest approach would be to treat it as any other parenthetical note within a sentence: it’s a note to the reader, but it should not affect the grammar of the sentence. Therefore, “rock(s)” would be treated as singular, not plural, and certainly not singular and plural. I looked through CMOS but could not find a solution. I guess my actual question is, is there a flaw in my reasoning, and if not, could Chicago recommend it?
A. The trick (used frequently in CMOS) is to use that construction only when it is not the subject of the sentence. Its use as the subject upsets us, and we try to avoid thinking about it. We prefer that you make up whatever rule you like. We are going to take an aspirin and lie down.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Which is correct? “Most important, you enable your students to pursue their passions”
or “Most importantly, you enable your students to pursue their passions.”
A. Although the second version is considered incorrect by many sticklers, and the first one sounds wrong to people who don’t
know better, they are both correct.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]