Grammar

Ganges

- More Shifts - Several more comparisons and shifts are worth studying. Consider first the comparison of one person with the other members of a group: Amitabh loved his grandmother more than any grandson did. Here, if the word other is not used, readers can be confused. Is Amitabh not a grandson? Does Amitabh love his grandmother more than he himself loves his grandmother? These confusing possibilities go away if we use the word other when it is appropriate: Amitabh loved his grandmother more than any other grandson did. Another confusing shift is the shift in number of a subject: Wealthy people purchase sandalwood, and a poor person buys neem wood. The shift from plural, people, to singular, person, is technically allowed, but the reader is better able to follow our train of thought if we provide consistency: Wealthy people purchase sandalwood, while poor people buy neem wood. Our final example of a confusing shift is the shift in discourse: Amitabh said that the waters of the Ganges would bless his grandmother and therefore, "she would soon rest in bliss." At the beginning of the sentence, the reader realizes that we are indirectly telling what Amitabh said. But then we present the reader with direct discourse by quoting the words of Amitabh at the end of the sentence. Avoid confusing the reader by being consistent: Amitabh said that the waters of the Ganges would bless his grandmother and that she would soon rest in bliss.

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