Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-04-22
The Grammar of the Dispatch.

| cages IN q discussion OF contest with an
editor Is placed at great disadvantage,
| growing out of the fact that the editor has
| the last word. and always makes the most
| of this Advantages may be seen In the
DISPATCH of April Sd, when the editor
makes a reply to "B; |" who mad critlcised
| the grammar of the DISPATCH in its edito-
| rial OF March 18th. The sentence criticised
| was this: 1T is one of the most important
| decisions that have been rendered by that
| tribunal" &c.
| The criticism was that the word hare
| should be has instead Of have. The reply
| of the DISPATCH seems 10 me rather inge-
| NOUS than ingenious, the sentence as
reconstructed by the DIsPATCa being diher-
| ent one and requiring different gram
maticsl construction follows; IS
| one (decision) of the most important de-
| cisions which (decisions) hare been rem
dered by that tribunal. 1t Is one OF mem,
| not one of H."
| Here the word uhich is substituted for
| that before the word opinions, thus
| CHANGING the sense as we'll as the sentence.
| | submit to the candor of the DISPATCH II
| this is "toting fair" But this is not oil.
| have another authority for the sound
| ness of IBIS" original criticism which
the DIsparcH will hardly dispute. being
| the DISPATCH itself. Only three days after
| the DISPATCH had thus unfairly, as l
1 think attempted TO show that the gram
| mar of "B" was defective. in its issue Of
| March 9th. at the head of the first column
| of the first page, tho following sentence
| met my ewes: " Last night closed one Of
| the most notly-cOntested Democratic prI-
| maries that has ever taken place IN Rich
| mond.n The word primaries stands IN eS-
| actly the same relation IN this sentence
| that the word opinions does In the sem
| tenoe criticised by b. and the gram
| matIcal construction of both sentences
| must be the same; ii has 10 right IN one
| case it must be SO in the other.
| Having thus disposed of this matter TO
| NV own satisfaction, II not TO that OF the
| DISPATCH, allow me TO say that, In my
| opinion, both sentences are faulty and OBJ
| noxious to criticism as specimens OF good,
| plain English. Either of them would be
| complete and express the meaning quite
] "a well By leaving out the three words that
\ has been, or that hare been, which have
| given rise TO ell this discussion. which are
| Clearly redundant. and add nothing to the
| sense or sound This fault OF redundancy
| il very common one in these modern
| times with oil classes OF writers, and i
| think that | may safely challenge the
| DISPATCH to produce single sentence
| from any of our acknowledged standards
| of pure aud correct English similar 10
| those criticised by "B." The redun-
| dancv will appear obvious when the
| two sentences are read with the words
| that has been. or that hare been left
| out. Cd 1T is one Of the most I'M
| portant opinions ever rendered by that
| tribunal. &c.n; 90 Last night closed one
| of the most hotly-contested Democratic
| municipal primaries ever held IN Rich
mond." This form of expression. besides
| sounding better, Is more correct as 70
L ~, Oh mi nf " %
| the grammatical objection pointed out by
n. - who is no other than the present
| writer. Why the DISPATCH should have
| substituted "B." for IF. j." the initials
| that always accompany what write tor
| the press, | do not know, but that Is small
| matter. for A rose by any other ndme
would smell as sweet" J.. ).
| When we are asked for our opinion on
any subject and we give it that ought to
end the matter. We don't ask anybody to
accept that opinion for ANYTHING but our
opinion. If IF. j." had found in "Notes
and Queries" the mistake which he found
In a heading in our columns that fact
would not have changed the custom OF the
best writers and speakers. THIS custom
we gave in our reply to "B." IF. j." or
"B." now comes back with second let
| ter, which we give Just as he penned 1t.
and without any fear that its perusal will
| cause any of our readers to differ with us
| in opinion.
| We will try to bring out our point more
| clearly. If the sentence were translated
| into Latin (for example) the pronoun
| which is IN the nominatlve case to "hIce
been." would be in the plural number and
would demand plural verb to agree with
it. This fact of itself ought to end con-
trovorsy on the subject.
| Again: Here is the sentence; :" IL Is
one of the most important decisions that
have been rendered by that tribunal for
O long time" The subject is IT" The
| copula is "is" The grammatical predi-
cate ends With tribunal" The Logical
predicate ends with tine" What is here
affirmed by necessary implication? Why,
that number Of important decisions hare
been rendered, and that the decision
under consideration Is one OF them. SO
we simply make the grammar agree with
the fact, and say the one decision we have
mentioned is one Of the important de-
cisions that haze ben rendered. &c. so we
/ MIGHT saw. me is one of the (three) men
in Richmond who understand Chinese
Not one Of the men who understands
Chinese. We might divide the sentence
| into subject, predicate and copula. and
thus show that ~. j." Is wrong. but We
prefer to quote little authority. Read
the following letter;
| EoRFoBz. Va. April 20, 1892.
| To he Editor or nc D1s2a'ch:
| In q late number of your paper you
| effectually disposed Of O correspondent
who found fault with your grammar In the
| sentence, 1T Is one Of the most important
| that hare been rendered by that tribunal
| for a long time.n You were clearly right,
as your analysts and parsing demonstrated
| This question excited some discussion
| here about three wears ago.
| At that time the writer was passenger
| from Baltimore on the steamer Georgia,
which came near being lost IN the famous
| storm of the 9Th and 7th OF April, 1889.
| After the steamer had been safely anchored
| in the Rappahannock river the delighted
passengers met and passed resolutions,
| drafted by me, commencing rs follows
Whereas the steamer Georgia. Captain
| William C.. White commanding. ha
safely weathered one of the seyerest
storms that hdos occurred on the Chesa-
peaks Bay for many years." DC. One OF
the committee took exception to this form
| of expression. but after discussion yielded
his opinion, and the resolution "a written
| was adopted. Upon our return TO Norfolk
| We found that one of our morning papers
had substituted the word has for have, and
discussion arose among. lawyers. news
paper men, society people," &C.. aud the
question was informally submitted TO our
well-known scholars, Professors William
r. Gait and Robert w. Tunstall, who
promptly decided in favor of have"
How there could be doubt, AFTER re-
Election. never could understand.