em dash ダッシュ

The Chicago Manual of Style (15th Edition) defines an em dash as a short typographical rule measuring the width of an em.

The manual further states on page 263 that the em dash, or simply called the dash, is the most commonly used and most versatile of dashes. Some suggested rules that are easy to remember include: One easy rule for English students to learn is that there are no more than two em dashes per sentence: Using more than two em dashes may cause confusion for your reader. For example:

Example 1. Using only two em dashes:

* Prime Minister Koizumi--he had been playing golf--spoke to the reporters with sweat dripping from his face.
* My cat--not really mine, but my wife’s--ran out of the house again.

In the above examples, we can clearly see the sudden change.

Example 2. Using more than two em dashes:

* Prime Minister Koizumi--he had been playing golf--spoke to the reporters--they had been waiting for hours--with sweat dripping from his face.
* My cat--not really mine--it’s actually my wife’s--ran out of the house again.

In these examples, it is confusing and hard to tell where the break in thought occurs. The Chicago Manual of Style has eight more useful references on how to use the em dash in writing. Check them out! (The style guide of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also has useful information about the em dash. )

3.9.3 Dash There are two types of dashes, the em dash and the en dash. These get their names from the length of the dash. The em dash is the length of the letter m; the en dash is the length of the letter n. Em dash The em dash, which is formed with two hyphens in typewriter fonts as shown below, is used in sentences instead of a comma, a colon, or parentheses to set off information. The dash generally indicates a sudden break in thought that disrupts the sentence structure:

* Dr. Frankenstein--to put it mildly--regretted ever creating the monster.

Dashes can place more emphasis on the enclosed material than would commas or parentheses.

A handbook for technical writers and editors at NASA titled "Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization" (ref. NASA SP-7084) has this to say:

Like the comma, the em dash is used both to enclose and to separate, and like the comma, an enclosing dash needs a partner. In fact, enclosing dashes are replacements for enclosing commas in order to add emphasis. Ebbitt and Ebbitt (1982) suggest a useful philosophy toward using the dash:

* If used sparingly, the dash suggests a definite tone, often a note of surprise or an emphasis equivalent to a mild exclamation.
* If used regularly in place of commas, colons, and semicolons, it loses all its distinctiveness and becomes a sloppy substitute for conventional punctuation. At its best the dash is a lively, emphatic mark.

Some examples from this manual include:

3.6.1. Dashes That Enclose

Dashes may replace commas in enclosing interrupting elements and non-restrictive modifiers and appositives. Dashes are appropriate when a comma might be misread, for example, as a serial comma:

* Wrong: The lasant gas, argon, and 3He were allowed to mix for 45 minutes.
* Better: The lasant gas--argon--and 3He were allowed to mix for 45 minutes.

Dashes are also appropriate when the enclosed element contains internal commas:

* Of the lasant gases studied--argon, xenon, krypton, and neon--argon offers the most promise.
* The most promising lasant gas--argon, which is the lightest gas studied--produced laser output power of 4 W.

Use dashes when the enclosed element needs emphasis. Enclose by dashes a complete sentence that interrupts another:

* Wrong: The one-sided spectrum, engineers call it simply "spectrum," is the output of most spectral analyzers.
* Correct: The one-sided spectrum--engineers call it simply "spectrum"--is the output of most spectral analyzers.

Commas are insufficient to enclose an interrupting sentence; dashes or parentheses are required. The choice of commas, dashes, or parentheses to enclose a nonrestrictive or interrupting element depends on the relation of the element to the rest of the sentence and on the emphasis it requires ( Effective Revenue Writing 1, IRS 1962):

* Commas (most frequently used) indicate only a slight separation in thought from the rest of the sentence.
* Dashes emphasize the element enclosed and clarify meaning when the element contains internal commas.
* Parentheses indicate that the enclosed element is only loosely connected to the rest of the sentence and therefore tend to de-emphasize it.

3.6.2. Dashes That Separate

A dash separates a group of antecedents from their pronoun that is the subject of the sentence:

* Argon, xenon, krypton, and neon--these are the possible choices of noble gases for use in nuclear pumped lasers.

In a displayed list, a dash may separate the item from an explanatory statement:

* Support systems for the facility supply the following:

1. Air--The 600-psi system can deliver a flow rate of 300 lb/sec for 3 min.
2. Cooling water--The closed-loop system delivers 450 gal/min at 550 psig.
3. Gaseous propellants--Hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are supplied from tanks at 2400 psia.

A dash may separate two clauses when the second amplifies or restates the first:

* The toughness of pseudo-maraging steel degrades at cryogenic temperatures--at -320 deg F, its Charpy impact energy is 6 ft-lb.

The colon (section 3.4.1) or semicolon (3.15.1) may also be used for this purpose. The dash is less formal than the colon and more emphatic than the semicolon. A dash may precede a phrase like that is, namely, and for example when it introduces a summarizing or explanatory phrase or clause at the end of a sentence, but a comma or semicolon may also be used (Rowland 1962).



If an explanatory clause follows the sentence, a semicolon is necessary; if an explanatory phrase follows, a comma is sufficient. If the explanatory phrase or clause receives enough emphasis by being at the end of the sentence, use a comma or semicolon, whichever is appropriate:

Moderate emphasis:

* Other random processes have average properties that vary appreciably with time, for example, the load demand on an electric power generating system.
* Some random processes are reasonably independent of the precise time; that is, measurements made at different times are similar in their average properties.

A dash would further emphasize the explanatory material:

Emphatic:

* Other random processes have average properties that vary appreciably with time--for example, the load demand on an electric power generating system.
* Some random processes are reasonably independent of the precise time-that is, measurements made at different times are similar in their average properties.

3.6.3. Conventional Uses of the Dash

The dash is used by convention as follows:

To separate a title and subtitle

* Large Space Systems Technology --1984
* Energy Efficient Transport Technology --Program Summary and Bibliography

In vague or open-ended dates

* 1974-- 1980 to 19--

3.6.4. Use With Other Marks

A semicolon, colon, question mark, period, or exclamation point --but not a comma-- supercede and replace a dash; that is, a semicolon, colon, or period may be the "partner" of an enclosing dash.

ダッシュ

ダッ シュ（または「ダーシ」）は、コンマ、セミコロン、コロンの代用としてまったく自由に使うことができる。したがって、その用法を明確に規定することは むずかしいが、主として文中で「思考の一時的中断を示したり別の新たな考え（語句）を注釈的に挿入する場合、あるいはそのような挿入語句を特に強調したい 場合に使う」と考えておくとよい。コンマが無声のポーズに相当するとすれば、おおざっぱに言って、文中のダッシュは「あー」とか「えー」などの間投詞に相 当する。たとえば次のような例である。

If you don’t finish the report by tomorrow -- I mean by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow--then you are fired!

She told me for the first time ever -- that she loved me!

The book was of no use for the exam-- although I enjoyed reading it.

上 例 b) は She told me, for the first time ever, that she loved me! のように、コンマを使った挿入句とすることもできる。これはいわば英文の「普通」の形で、その分だけ挿入句の強調度合いがダッシュを使った場合と比較して 弱くなる（She told meの後に無声の短いポーズを入れてfor the first time everと続けた場合と、She told me の後に uh . . . という「思考の一時的中断」を示す意味不明の音を入れた場合を比較すると、その感じがわかる）。

例文 c) は The book was of no use for the exam, although I enjoyed reading it.（「コンマ」の項目7参照）とするのが普通だが、コンマの代わりにダッシュを使うとalthough以下にほぼ独立文と同じような強さを与える効果 がある。

もっとも、実用文でこういう微妙なニュアンスを出したり、修辞的な効果を狙う必要があるとも思えない。そもそも実用文において「思考を一時的に中断」したり、ある文中に「別の新たな考え（語句）を挿入する」などということが適当だとも思えない。

なお、ダーシには長いダーシ (—) と短いダーシ (-) があり、前者を
“M (= em) dash” と呼び、後者を N (= en) dash と呼ぶ。通常、英文で使われるのは後者のほうである。ただし、タイプライターや一般的なパソコンのキーボードではダーシをダブルハイフン (--) で代用する。この場合、読みやすくするために前後に1文字分ずつスペースを加えることが多い（通常のダーシでは前後にスペースを加えないのが普通）。

More Examples of Usage:

That's Norika Fujiwara—the Queen of Commercials.
あれは、藤原紀香?CMの女王よ。

Yeah, and you know what they say—as Tokyo goes, so goes Japan.
うん。それに何て言われているか知ってるだろう?東京の行く道、日本も行く。

References:
1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Style Guide
2. Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors, "Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization" (ref. NASA SP-7084)


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How to Use Ellipsis Marks 省略記号（エリプシス）

The American Heritage Dictionary defines an ellipsis as a row of three dots (...) or a row of three asterisks (***) that shows an intentional ommission.

The Chicago Manual of Style suggests the use of an ellipsis for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within a quoted passage.

Examples

Omitted material with ellipsis in a quotation:

• The secretary said, "I couldn't contact every client . . . because I don't have their complete addresses."
• "The true test of civilization is. . . the kind of man that the country turns out." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
  

Omission of some letters or words

• K--g for king; c****d, for coward; d....d, for damned

If the quotation begins in the middle of a sentence, the first word after the ellipses will be in lower case:

• ". . . into that good night."

When words are omitted in the middle of the quotation, the ellipses appear as three periods to mark the omission:

• He agreed that prices were . . . reasonable.

If the omitted words appear at the end of a sentence, four periods are used:

• She disagreed with the decision . . . .
• "Absolute governments (though the disgrace of human nature) have this advantage with them, they are simple. . . ." (Thomas Paine)
  

Used between words to indicate where the natural flow of speech has been interrupted:

• Clutching at his throat, he gasped, " Help. . .help me."
• Education is a social process. . . Education is growth. . .Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself. (John Dewey)
• The witness answered, "They sped away in a. . . Chevy. . .yes, it was a Chevy."
  

In Japanese manga, the ellipsis by itself represents speechlessness, usually as an admission of guilt or a response to being dumbfounded as a result of something that another person has just said or done.

The book titled "英文ビジネス文書完全マニュアル" states the following:
エリプシスは、3つの連続したドット (three spaced dots) で表し、
a) 語句の「省略」を示す。また、これは suspension points とも呼ばれ、
b) 思考（つまりセンテンス）の中断や、
c) 発言の中の長いポーズを示すためにも使われる。

それぞれの例は以下のとおり。
　 a) He said: "We should all rush to the front . . . for the sake of our victory.”
　 b) "Well, I don't know if . . ." he said. "If what?" she asked.
　 c) "I . . . I love you," he replied.

エリプシスの各ドット間およびその前後のスペーシングについてはいくつかのバリエーション
がみられるものの、一般には上記の例に見られるとおりそれぞれ1文字分（半角）のスペースを
加えるのが普通である。ただし、例b) のようにエリプシスのすぐ後（またすぐ前）に引用符がある場合は、通例、エリプシスと引用符の間にはスペースを加えない。

なお、タイプ原稿では各ドットはそれぞれ英字1文字分に相当するが、一般の書籍や新聞・雑誌などのようにプロポーショナル印字される印刷物では各行の長さが一定の範囲で自動調整されるために、エリプシスのドット間隔がかならずしも一定とはかぎらない。

また、エリプシスでセンテンスを完結する場合は、一般にthree spaced dots ( . . . ) に続けて文末ピリオドを加える。

たとえば He said: "We should all rush to the front . . . ." のようにする。ただし、これも出版社や編集者によって異なり、エリプシスでセンテンスが完結する場合も3つのドットだけにしている例もある。

Bibliography:
1. The American Heritageﾂｮ Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.(Includes CD-ROM)
2. The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, University of Chicago Press Staff, 2004.
3. 英文ビジネス文書完全マニュアル, 新企画社；小学館 [発売], 染谷　泰正【著】
4. Daniel Kies and Sandra Penrose; Department of English, College of DuPage; Modern English Grammar (English 2126) March 6, 1997
5. Dr. Dennis Clausen & Tom Haglund, Department of English, University of San Diego; 1989

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Could or Was Able?

How to use: can and be able to

Can is used to express ability (の能力) or possibility (可能性あり). It is a modal verb (法動詞) so there is no conjugation (動詞の語形変化がない).

Example 1: Can

- I can speak English.
- I can drive a car.
- He can speak English and Chinese.
- They can't come to the party.

Could is the past tense* (動詞の過去形) of can. And therefore it also is not conjugated.

*Note:

Could is almost never used in the affirmative (ほとんど肯定的に使わない) in the past tense unless talking about an ability once performed in the past.過去の一貫した能力を表す。瞬時の能力は was [were] able toになります。

Example 2: Could

- I couldn't go to work because I was sick.
- I couldn't understand what my teacher said.
- I couldn't enjoy the party.

(If speaking in the affirmative (肯定的に), we would usually use the simple past tense (単純過去時制). For example: "I called you yesterday." If you said "I couldn't call you yesterday," that would be OK, too. It sounds strange if you said "I could call you yesterday.")

Example 3: Could ? when ?

- I could play the piano when I was younger.
- I could swim across the river when I was twelve.

"Be able to" is basically another way of expressing "ability" and "possibility" in the past in the affirmative (肯定的に).

Example 4: Be Able to

- We were able to catch the ferry on time.
- They were able to give me directions.
- I was able to go on vacation during Golden Week.
- She was able to vote.

Hope this helps. Any questions or comments? Click on comments below.

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対策 Countermeasure or Measure

The Japanese word 対策 (taisaku) is often mistranslated as "countermeasure" even by the best translators in Japan. Furthermore, this word (countermeasure) is often misused by native English speakers.

Countermeasure is defined as "a measure or action taken to counter or offset another measure."
For example, in many Japanese contexts, the Japanese word "taisaku" should be more appropriately translated as "measure" or "policy in response to." The English word "countermeasure" has a negative connotation not conveyed by the Japanese original. For example, an expression such as "shou-enerugi (energy-saving) taisaku" is quite common in Japanese, and it would be awkward to translate it into "energy saving countermeasure," which would mean to take a measure against energy-saving actions.

The key point here lies in the prefix counter, which means opposite or opposing. Some quick examples here:

1. David made a proposal regarding the budget. Bob challenged David's proposal and made a counterproposal (a proposal against the first proposal).
2. The Elbonians developed missiles to attack the Okapis. The Okapis then developed armed satellites to counterattack (attack against the first attack) the Elbonian missiles.
3. Suzuki took a measure to fix the leak. However, this measure caused excessive corrosion. So, he developed a countermeasure (a measure against the first measure) to prevent corrosion when fixing leaks.

We can see that a measure is first taken against a problem, and then a countermeasure is taken against the first measure if the first measure didn't work or created a new problem.

If countermeasure is used incorrectly, most everyone would probably understand what you mean, but you really should be careful when dealing with technical documents.

The World Trade Organization felt such incorrect usage was worth noting to help avoid miscommunication regarding trade between Japan and the United States. You can see their comments in an "ANNEX ON TRANSLATION PROBLEMS" published by the WTO.

So, next time you get the urge to say or write countermeasure for 対策, think twice! Chances are that you should probably be using measure instead.

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Chip's One-Point Lesson: "Overrun" or "Overshoot"

According to Western media reports, the train that crashed on the Fukuchiyama Line on April 25, 2005, overshot the stop position by 40 meters at Itami Station. Japanese media reports used the term 行き過ぎた or オーバーラン.

Western media used the terms overran or overshot, both of which are just fine. However, I would probably tend to use the term overshoot instead of overrun.

The American Heritageﾂｮ Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines overshoot as to shoot or pass over or beyond. It also defines the word as flying beyond or past a certain point; to overrun. In fact, they give an example as such: The plane overshot the runway.

If we look up the word , however, we get slightly different usages. Some definitions given are
1. to defeat,
2. to overflow,
3. to overproduce something, and finally
4. to overshoot.

For ease of understanding and clarity, I would have chosen overshoot instead of overrun. What about you?

Beginner Student Section (A big "Thanks" to A.I. for her help here!)

JR福知山線脱線事故のニュースで、｢オーバーラン｣という言葉が使われているのを頻繁に耳にしました。英語にも｢オーバーラン｣という単語がありますが、実は、結構意味が広いのです。例えば、｢過剰生産｣｢溢れる｣なども含まれます。ですから、｢手前の駅で行き過ぎて戻ったために遅れが出て｣と言う場合の｢行き過ぎた｣という意味を表すには、overrunよりもovershootの方が適切です。Overshootには｢行き過ぎた｣という意味しかありませんので、より明確な表現となります。

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Baseball and English?

What does "at bat" mean? According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, it means to take your turn.

Did you know that it also means to take an opportunity for success? Think about it...you can't get on base if you don't go up to the plate and swing at the ball. It is also safe to say that the people who get the most hits also tend to get the most strike-outs.

There is no guaranteed formula for success; the more you try, the more you will fail. However, the more you try, the more you will also succeed! So go up to the plate and swing for all you're worth. You won't be penalized if you fail to get a base hit.

Learning English is no different. The more you try to speak and write, the more mistakes you will make. However, the more you try, the more you will also succeed! You won't be penalized if you fail to get it right.

So, my advice to you is to go up to the "plate" and "swing for all your're worth!" Don't get discouraged and belittle yourself. All of you are improving little by little. You just don't realize it yet! Have faith in yourself and swing hard!

According to popular legend, it took Thomas Edison more than 10,000 tries to perfect the light bulb. When asked by a reporter, half way through the process, how he could keep going when he had failed 5,000 times, Edison replied, "I haven't failed 5,000 times. I've successfully discovered 5,000 ways that don't work!"

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Typhoon #22 or Ma-on?

Tyhpoon Names

In Japan, the media uses numbers when referring to typhoons; typhoon #22, for example. But when communicating with your non-Japanese friends or colleagues, they may not know which typhoon you are talking about. Are you talking about #22 in 2004? #22 in 1998, or #22 in Heisei 9? The reason they may not know what you are talking about is that the international media has adopted the practice of using typhoon names as published by the Sweden-based World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO is a special agency of the United Nations. They don't use numbers, but rather use names. The purpose is to hopefully raise awareness and prompt people to listen to warnings about typhoons.

Confusion can arise when numbering typhoons because different international, government, and military agencies use different numbering systems for different kinds of storms. This can be very confusing if you are at sea on a ship, or in a location with limited access to information. To help avoid confusion, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force started using names of the typhoons from their bases in Hawaii (since 1945). The purpose was to help save lives, and to avoid confusion. However, the names the U.S. chose were meaningless and foreign to the residents of Asia. Maybe that is why Japan developed a numbering system for domestic (in-country) purposes?

Fortunately, from the year 2000, it was changed and now all the Asian countries that are members of the WMO's Typhoon Committee (including Japan) use names. The new Asian names are easier for people in Asia to remember and will hopefully help people to be better aware of the status of each typhoon and how it might affect their region.

When a new storm is developing into a typhoon, the Tokyo Typhoon Centre of the Japanese Meteorological Agency will assign the next name from the WMO list. You can see a list of the names at this link: Tokyo Typhoon Centre

Do you know what the name of the next typhoon will be? Do you know how to spell the name of the typhoon correctly? This list shows the names of typhoons submitted by each country, the correct spelling, and the English meaning of each name. I like the fact that the spelling is also decided by the country that submitted the name of the typhoon. Truly, these names are of Asian origin, which is the way it should be, don't you think?

The list at this link in Hong Kong tells the meaning and spelling of the typhoon names submitted by each country: United Nations' ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee

It is also very interesting to see what kinds of names the different countries decided on. Japan has chosen names for many different things. I wonder if some of the names have a historical meaning for Japan. If you know how Japan chose her 10 names, please let me know. I am curious to know!

Let's hope that the WMO will be successful in helping people to become more aware of the a storm's status and make preparations to protect themselves and their families! Also, next time you start up a conversation with your non-Japanese friend, ask them if they know what Ma-on (#22?) means or what Tokage (#23?) means. This is a great way to start up a conversation in English!

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OWL at Purdue University: Sentence Punctuation Patterns

"Don't I need a comma before the word because?" This is a common question from students. It also reflects a common mistake made by native English speakers who have poor grammar training or just don't care about effective and proper use of language. If you plan to use your English skills at Gas Panic, then this reference is meaningless to you. If you want to nail that job and beat out the competition at Ripplewoods, Carlyles, and the Cerbus's of this world, then pay heed:

OWL at Purdue University: Sentence Punctuation Patterns

Remember, language is the means by which we express our ideas. Express your ideas well and accurately, and you can go places unlike you have ever imagined possible.

Basic rules for using: in, on, at, & to

IN

Months: in May, in January
Seasons: in winter, in spring
Countries: in Greece, in Malta
City or town names: in New York, in Yokohama
Times of the day:　in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (but, we say at night)
Years: in 1978, in 2004
Decade: in the twenties, in the '90s
Future: in a few weeks, in a couple of days, in six hours
Note: We do not say "in this year." Instead, you can say "[do something] this year," "[do something] during this year," or "[do something] later this year."

ON

Days of week: on Friday, on Monday, on Sundays
Calendar days: on New Year's Day, on Christmas Day, on October 22nd, on April the 19th
Weekend(s): on the weekend (American English), on weekends (American English)

AT

Precise time: at 7 o'clock, at 6.15, at six o'clock, at 10.30, at two p.m.
Night: at night
Specific places: at school, at Roppongi Hills, at Starbucks
Weekend(s): at the weekend (British English), at weekends (British English)

TO

We use with verbs that show movement such as go and come.
- He goes to college at International Christian University.
- She returned to Walmart.
- They are coming to the party at Velfarre.

Kenneth Beare
"Preposition Use - in / at / on - prepositions of time and date"
English as 2nd Language
2004 About, Inc. All rights reserved. A PRIMEDIA Company
(September 26, 2004)

Hyphenate with "ed" or Not?

I am often confused as to whether or not I should use medium-sized or medium-size. I have finally decided to use medium-size without the ed. The following reference gives other examples:

bite-size appetizers; an economy-size package

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition

Your Questions: What is the difference between "could" and "would"? (Part I)

---

Part I

K.N. of MP3 asked this question: How are could and would used differently? Here are some examples of could:

1. To talk about ability in the past:

• I could drive when I was fifteen.
• Could you hear me properly?

2. To make requests:

• Could you help me, please?
• Could I have a light?

3. To talk about ability in the future:

• Could you swim across this river?
• Could you lift that weight?

4. To show possibility in the present & future:

• He could be at work, but I'm not certain.
• If I were rich, I could go the Bahamas for a holiday.

5. To make suggestions for the future:

• We could have a party.
• You could see your mother and then go out afterwards.

6. To ask politely for something:

• Could you give me some help here?
• Could you come here, please?

7. To show permission politely:

• You could come on Thursday, if you like.
• The boss said you couldn't leave early.

8. As the past tense of can:

• I could run much faster when I was younger.
• Women and children could work in the mines in the last century.

---

Part II

Here are some examples of would:

1. Conditionals:

• It would be better if you came.
• If we had not lost, we would be champions now.
• If I were you, I would leave straight away.

2. Wishing:

• I'd like to go to Mars.
• I wish she would look in this direction.

3. [Who] + like to ask for something:

• What would you like to do?
• I would like some information, please.

4. The past tense of will:

• I am late because the car would not start.

5. Invitations:

• Would you come with me, please?
• Would you like some tea?

6. Preferences

• I'd rather have tea than coffee.

7. Imagining things:

• A holiday would be nice.
• Wouldn't it be nice to get on with my neighbors?

8. In informal writing, we often we abbreviate the verb would with an apostrophe:

• she would = she'd

9. We can use would as a polite form of will:

• Would you tell them to come in, please?

10. We use would like as a polite form of want:

• I want a cup of tea.
• I would like a cup of tea, please.

11. It is also an invitation:

• Would you like a cup of tea?
• Would you like to go to the cinema?

12. The short form is 'd:

• I'd like to know what is going on.

Source: Copyright 2002 - 2004 Free-ESL

Another Useful Online Dictionary

Dear Students and Friends:

Here is another handy link to a website that has your favorite word in tens and tens of dictionaries!


OneLook Dictionary Search

Check it out! See you in class next time.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary

Use this "Reverse Dictionary" when you know the meaning of a word, but you can't quite remember what the word is. For example, if I type a description like "book list words meaning alphabetical" and click on Find Words, then the first answer I get is "dictionary"!

So, try this out to help you find just the right word you are looking for. It will be a lot more educational than trying to use your Japanese/English dictionary.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary

Writing Numbers

Writing Numbers

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

Although usage varies, most people spell out numbers that can be expressed in one or two words and use figures for other numbers:

Words
over two pounds
six million dollars
after thirty-one years
eighty-three people


Figures
after 126 days
only $31.50
6,381 bushels
4.78 liters


Here are some examples of specific situations.

Days and Years

December 12, 1965 or 12 December 1965
A.D. 1066
in 1900
in 1971-72 or in 1971-1972
the eighties, the twentieth century
the 1980s

Time of Day

8:00 A.M. (or) a.m. (or) eight o'clock in the morning
4:30 P.M. (or) p.m. (or) half-past four in the afternoon

Addresses

16 Tenth Street
350 West 114 Street

Identification Numbers

Room 8
Channel 18
Interstate 65
Henry VIII

Page and Division of Books and Plays

page 30
chapter 6
in act 3, scene 2 (or) in Act III, Scene ii

Decimals and Percentages

a 2.7 average
13 1/4 percent
.037 metric ton

Large Round Numbers

four billion dollars (or) $4 billion
16,500,000 (or) 16.5 million

Notes on Usage

Repeat numbers in legal or commercial writing.

The bill will not exceed one hundred (100) dollars.

Numbers in series and statistics should be consistent.

two apples, six oranges, and three bananas
NOT: two apples, 6 oranges, and 3 bananas
115 feet by 90 feet (or) 115' x 90'
scores of 25-6 (or) scores of 25 to 6
The vote was 9 in favor and 5 opposed

Write out numbers beginning sentences.

Six percent of the group failed.
NOT: 6% of the group failed.

Use a combination of figures and words for numbers when such a combination will keep your writing clear.

Unclear: The club celebrated the birthdays of 6 90-year-olds who were born in the city. (may cause the reader to read '690' as one number.)

Clearer: The club celebrated the birthdays of six 90-year-olds who were born in the city.

Try our exercise on writing numbers at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslnumberEX1.html.

For more information on plural cases, see our handout on Noun Plurals at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/grammar/g_spelnoun.html.

The following information must remain intact on every handout printed for distribution.

This page is located at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslnumber.html

Copyright ? 1995-2004 by OWL at Purdue University and Purdue University. All rights reserved.
Use of this site, including printing and distributing our handouts, constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use, available at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/fairuse.html.


To contact OWL, please visit our contact information page at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/contact.html to find the right person to call or email.

Ten Quick Etiquette Tips For Business Lunches

Ten Quick Etiquette Tips For Business Lunches

By Catherine Franz

Knowing what to do when meeting a prospective client for lunch, or going to lunch with the boss or colleague can be confusing at times. Here is a quick list of items to remember:

1. Be in the present moment with whomever you are with. Limit glancing around the room. It's a sign that you are looking for something better. There is nothing worse than having a conversation with someone who is half there.

2. Being on time. This sounds so commonsensical. The percentage of people being late is over 65 percent. Don't push your time to the last minute before leaving the office so you will be late. Take some reading or work with you, arrive early, sit in the lobby, and work. Or give yourself some space to think over how you want to approach the time together. You introduction, tone, style, or even plan a quick get away if the union isn't working. The memory implant of your lateness will always override any request for forgiveness.

3. Turn off your cell phone before entering the restaurant. No one around you wants to hear your conversation. Even if you let it ring, pick it up and then take it outside. Did you leave your lunch companion alone? This is just plain rude. If you have an "I don't care attitude" about this, I'll tell you a story about a lunch guest of mine who did this and the three prospects she was meeting didn't even sit down. They saw her talk, she waved a 1-minute finger single to them, and they turned around and walked out. They wouldn't even answer her phone calls or emails afterwards.

4. If you are woman and this is business, it's appropriate now to stand up and shake the hand of a male. This overrides the old rule of staying seated. If the meeting is for your spouse's business and you are coming along because other spouses are coming, then you stay seated as your spouse stands up. This rules applies for either gender.


5. Offer your hand and give a firm handshake. Sometimes, people who don't like to shake hands will not meet yours. Don't think anything of it if they don't, this is just their preference. And particularly don't say something cute or funny.

6. Think of an opening statement to make as you are shaking hands. This is part of your first impression, so make it good. Always use the guest's first name either at the beginning or at the end of the statement. For example, "Thank you for taking the time to get together today, Catherine." When needing to complete a group of introductions, highest rank rules over gender.

7. Small talk is important--don't leave it out. The length of time for small talk depends on many factors. If you are in the presence of famous or very rich people and not in a social setting, then the small talk, if any, is going to be quick and short. It could be as short as one or two sentences. People who know how much their time is worth, or who are doing you a favor by being there, also fall into this category.

8. Aha, who picks up the tab? If you did the inviting, you are responsible for the check. No matter how more well-off they are. If a joint meeting, ask at the beginning or when scheduling the lunch on check splitting. Waiting until the check arrives to state the check splitting is a sign of professional weakness. If you are meeting with someone who is giving you valuable advice, you must pick up the tab. A personal handwritten follow-up note is also appropriate. If they have saved or helped you make more money, send them a gift or gift certificate. If you don't you will never get any more of their time again. This has occurred to me, and the person never gets any time again.

9. Where does the napkin go? Immediately after sitting, place the napkin in your lap. If you notice the napkin is in the goblet, this is usually a signal from the restaurant that the server will place the napkin into your lap. If you excuse yourself during the meal, place the napkin on the left hand side of your plate or on the chair. This signals the server that you aren't done. When done, place napkin on the right of the plate and your fork and knife horizontally across the plate to signal the server.

10. What to eat and use first? Which glass or which fork can be confusing. Bread and salad plates always to the left; and drinking glasses to the right. Utensils start from the outside in and the dessert fork is by the dessert plate. Lay your fork and knife across your plate to signal the server you're finished.

(c) Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz

Catherine Franz is a business coach and prolific writer. To read additional articles or find out more about any of her monthly eNewsletters, visit the Abundance Center at: http://www.AbundanceCenter.com.

Put the Adverb Where?

I have noticed that many Japanese put the adverb after the verb. Could anyone tell me why?

Should you say nicely done or done nicely?

Many similar examples: thinly slice, or slice thinly?

In everyday usage, it seems that the adjective or adverb is used before the noun or verb.

Therefore, nicely done. "Nicely" is telling HOW it is done, and "thinly slice" is telling HOW it is sliced

But wait!

Adverbs of manner (mostly formed by adding -ly to the adjective) are usually placed after the verb and after the object, respectively.

Examples:
1. Slice the bread thinly, please.
2. She is singing (that song) beautifully.

If an adverb of manner modifies a past participle, the adverb is placed before the verb.

Examples:
1. She is always well-dressed.
2. This job has been nicely done.
---
Reference:
http://lists.topica.com/lists/purdueowlnews/read/message.html?mid=910629381&sort=d&start=130

Proofreaders Marks

You can click here and look at a copy of one version of Proofreader's Marks. These are useful especially if you do lots of editing or translating.

North Carolina State University's Online Writing Lab

This college has a good online writing lab (OWL). If you know of any other good writing labs, let me know.

You can also look for an answer to your question in the Grammar Hotline Archives (Nancy H. Margolis, 2002), which stores questions and responses in the following categories:

• Questions on Capitalization
• Questions on Citation
• Questions on Editing
• Questions on Punctuation
• Apostrophes
• Colons
• Commas
• Hyphens
• Multiple Punctuation
• Periods
• Quotation Marks
• Questions on Sentence Structure
• Questions on Spelling
• Questions on Typography
• Questions on Word Choice
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Conjunctions
• Nouns
• Prepositions
• Pronouns
• Verbs

NCSU Online Writing Lab

Serial Comma

Read the following sentences. Can you tell how many people there are?

1. They went to New York with Betty, a maid and a cook.
2. They went to New York with Betty, a maid, and a cook.
   

Did you guess that No. 1 is only one person and that No. 2 is three people?

1. They went to New York with Betty, a maid and cook. (Betty = maid + cook = 1 person with two jobs)
2. They went to New York with Betty, a maid, and a cook. (Betty + maid + cook = 3 persons)
   

These are just some simple examples, but you can see if you use the third comma, then the meaning is much clearer. If you use only two commas, then the meaning might not be clear to some readers.
Newspapers often skip the third commas to save space. They are using the Associated Press Stylebook (P. 274). "Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue."

The other references for non-journalists clearly suggest using the third comma.

My suggestion is that you should life as easy and simple as possible. If you always use a comma for a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, you will be safe!

• Red, white, and blue
• Gold, silver, or copper
• He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

Here are some references that I have used:

I have a PDF copy of this manual. Please ask me for a copy in class next time if you are interested. Otherwise, you can go visit the Web site.

• Style Manual, 29th edition, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 2003

These are some of the manuals I use every day:

• Modern American Usage: A Guide, NY: Hill and Wang, 1998
• A Manual for Writers, 5^th Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987
• Chicago Manual of Style, 14^th Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993
• Elements of Style, 2^nd Edition, New York: Macmillan, 1972

These are some references that have been suggested by others:

• Gregg Reference Manual, 8^th Edition, New York: Glencoe, 1993
• Scientific Style and Format, 6^th Edition, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994
  
• The Texas Law Review Manual on Usage and Style
• The Lawyer's Book of Rules for Effective Legal Writing

Bibliography:

1. Get It Write. GIW Online. http://www.getitwriteonline.com/index.htm, accessed July 28, 2005.
2. The Professional Training Company. Factotum Ink, Limited. http://www.swcp.com/info/home.htm, accessed July 28, 2005.
3. Capital Community College. http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/index.htm, accessed July 28, 2005.
4. Modern American Usage: A Guide, NY: Hill and Wang, 1998
5. A Manual for Writers, 5th Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987
6. Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993
7. Elements of Style, 2nd Edition, New York: Macmillan, 1972
   

英語の授業・子供用ＥＳＬゲーム Fun Learning for Children

The Website can help beginners and young learners to learn some basic vocabulary using images. The 2nd part also includes words for a nice reading exercise. I will suggest this to parents who have children who want an easy introduction to English. It would also be good for very beginner students.

Paper Presentation: Hints on Writing Scholarly Papers

Whether you are college student or an engineer at NSK, please take the time to review some of these words of advice from a professor at the University of Massachusetts.

Paper Presentation: Hints on Writing Scholarly Papers

Topics discussed include:

1．文法、文体・書き方
2．文の構造、構文
3．アポストロフィ
4．略語
5．エリプシス（省略）
6．リスト
7．神人同形論、擬人観
8．口語体（の語句）、話し言葉
9．言葉の下品さ
And many more.

Many of the points given may seem like common sense, but if you went to a Japanese university (except for ICU), then you probably have very little experience writing term papers in Japanese or English. The English world is much more critical of punctuation, grammar, layout, syntax, margins, and typeface.

Please feel free to ask me to help you with any questions you have regarding the information at this site.

If you have chance to get a copy of this book, I strongly suggest you do so.
You might even be able to find a used copy at Amazon.

リンク: http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/1150/writing.html

English Tools for Good English

This is a new blog I have created to help organize useful information I have collected over the years of useful tools we can use to communicate better in English.

I hope you find this blog to be useful!