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Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:52 pm
by Opie
ColtsFan88 wrote:
InGoodFaith wrote:
kaveman wrote:"This" is a pronoun; a pronoun must refer to (replace) a specific noun; we can only replace "this" with the "$75000 Fellowship." I look forward to your next substantive argument, something along the lines of, "No."
You're wrong.
He really isn't. The statement almost surely means 75K total, but the wording could be phrased in a more clear manner. It's not hard to imagine that people would misunderstand it to mean 75k per year.
Actually "this" can be used as a pronoun, adjective, or adverb. In the instance outlined above, it is used as an adjective to describe the word "grant", and signifies that the writer is referring to the specific grant previously mentioned.

It doesn't speak to the dollar value at all. I can see how someone would get confused by it, and I don't think it is particularly clear writing, but "this" cannot be replaced with "$75000 Fellowship". If you want to use a replacement test, replace it with "the previously mentioned".

Just because it was mentioned that the grant is for $75000 and that it is renewable, you cannot assume that the amount is $75000 per year or in total. There isn't enough information in the sentence to infer this.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:59 pm
by 20130312
Opie wrote:Actually "this" can be used as a pronoun, adjective, or adverb. In the instance outlined above, it is used as an adjective to describe the word "grant", and signifies that the writer is referring to the specific grant previously mentioned.

It doesn't speak to the dollar value at all. I can see how someone would get confused by it, and I don't think it is particularly clear writing, but "this" cannot be replaced with "$75000 Fellowship". If you want to use a replacement test, replace it with "the previously mentioned".

Just because it was mentioned that the grant is for $75000 and that it is renewable, you cannot assume that the amount is $75000 per year or in total. There isn't enough information in the sentence to infer this.
^ This. Well done, Opie.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:01 pm
by Opie
InGoodFaith wrote:
Opie wrote:Actually "this" can be used as a pronoun, adjective, or adverb. In the instance outlined above, it is used as an adjective to describe the word "grant", and signifies that the writer is referring to the specific grant previously mentioned.

It doesn't speak to the dollar value at all. I can see how someone would get confused by it, and I don't think it is particularly clear writing, but "this" cannot be replaced with "$75000 Fellowship". If you want to use a replacement test, replace it with "the previously mentioned".

Just because it was mentioned that the grant is for $75000 and that it is renewable, you cannot assume that the amount is $75000 per year or in total. There isn't enough information in the sentence to infer this.
^ This. Well done, Opie.
Thanks! I thought I'd grammar nazi it a bit.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:30 pm
by lookingformoney
well actually, we're all wrong. Since I called today and it is 7500 PER year. 7500. yes one less zero. What a horrible typo:( And it was even printed, dated, and signed. Bad PR?

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:34 pm
by Opie
lookingformoney wrote:well actually, we're all wrong. Since I called today and it is 7500 PER year. 7500. yes one less zero. What a horrible typo:( And it was even printed, dated, and signed. Bad PR?
Ohhh.. Ouch. That sucks. I'm sorry.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:37 pm
by kaveman
lookingformoney wrote:well actually, we're all wrong. Since I called today and it is 7500 PER year. 7500. yes one less zero. What a horrible typo:( And it was even printed, dated, and signed. Bad PR?
Turns out it wasn't badly worded at all, sans typo. But I'm really sorry to hear that. Might as well try to get them to raise it though.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:38 pm
by AmandaPB
Oh god, that typo is terrible. I’m glad you didn’t make your decision based on that letter!

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:41 pm
by Guchster
I'm right for telling you to call. You owe me you 50% of that scholly muney if you take it.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:41 pm
by aekea
lookingformoney wrote:well actually, we're all wrong. Since I called today and it is 7500 PER year. 7500. yes one less zero. What a horrible typo:( And it was even printed, dated, and signed. Bad PR?
Did they at least apologize profusely to you?

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:42 pm
by kaveman
Opie wrote:
ColtsFan88 wrote:
InGoodFaith wrote:
kaveman wrote:"This" is a pronoun; a pronoun must refer to (replace) a specific noun; we can only replace "this" with the "$75000 Fellowship." I look forward to your next substantive argument, something along the lines of, "No."
You're wrong.
He really isn't. The statement almost surely means 75K total, but the wording could be phrased in a more clear manner. It's not hard to imagine that people would misunderstand it to mean 75k per year.
Actually "this" can be used as a pronoun, adjective, or adverb. In the instance outlined above, it is used as an adjective to describe the word "grant", and signifies that the writer is referring to the specific grant previously mentioned.

It doesn't speak to the dollar value at all. I can see how someone would get confused by it, and I don't think it is particularly clear writing, but "this" cannot be replaced with "$75000 Fellowship". If you want to use a replacement test, replace it with "the previously mentioned".

Just because it was mentioned that the grant is for $75000 and that it is renewable, you cannot assume that the amount is $75000 per year or in total. There isn't enough information in the sentence to infer this.
I realized shortly after my last post that it was actually being used as an adjective, so you're right about that. But let's use your replacement test: "the previously mentioned grant is renewable each year" (or something)... to me, renewable here means that that's the yearly amount, since "75000" is also being used as an adjective. Anyway, I'm sorry I posted in the first place because I forgot that it would spark 30 subsequent posts on TLS. Sorry to the original writer, hopefully he/she can negotiate that 7500 up.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:44 pm
by 20130312
kaveman wrote:hopefully he/she can negotiate that 7500 up.
...to $75k a year

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:59 pm
by Opie
InGoodFaith wrote:
kaveman wrote:hopefully he/she can negotiate that 7500 up.
...to $75k a year
I would go to pretty much any law school if they gave me $75k a year. At least if that was guaranteed.

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:16 pm
by lookingformoney
i will try to negotiate and see what happens. pretty bad though. obviously 75K is an outrageous scholarship, but they should at least review their scholarship letter before printing/sending. I'll update as I find out what they negotiate. Pretty bad PR if you ask me. Hopefully they respect their applicants and do something

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:21 pm
by Opie
lookingformoney wrote:i will try to negotiate and see what happens. pretty bad though. obviously 75K is an outrageous scholarship, but they should at least review their scholarship letter before printing/sending. I'll update as I find out what they negotiate. Pretty bad PR if you ask me. Hopefully they respect their applicants and do something
What school is this anyway? It can't be bad PR if you don't publicize it!

Re: Need help understanding a scholarship letter

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:33 pm
by ColtsFan88
I definitely say you out the school, since you're already accepted and that is a pretty big mess-up on their part.