This week’s column deals with two queries sent in by a reader from Chennai. The first query is about the relative pronoun “who” and the second query is about portmanteau words.
Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct?
It is I who am responsible for everything that has happened.
It is I who is responsible for everything that has happened.
The rule is relative pronouns take the person of their antecedents.
In the sentences above, “I” is the antecedent of the relative pronoun “who”. Therefore, “who” in the examples above is first person, not third person. “I” is followed by “am” or “have” and not “is” and “has” when “I” is used in the simple present, present continuous or present perfect tense.
Therefore, the first sentence is grammatically correct and not the second one. Here are more examples:
‘It is I who need your support and cooperation. (I need…)
It is I who am ashamed of you! (I am ashamed …)
It is I who am dealing with the students interested in pursuing higher studies. (I am dealing …)
It is I who have the power to assess your performance. (I have the power…)
It is I who have authorized you. (I have authorized…)
Look at this pair of sentences. Which one is grammatically correct?
I am the one who prays for you every day.
I am the one who pray for you every day.
In the sentences above, the antecedent is the phrase ‘the one’ which is a third person singular pronoun. So, the first sentence is correct and not the second one. Here are more examples:
I am the one who is to succeed him as the head of the department.
I am the one who knocks.
I am the one who has taken over as the President of the club.
The second query sought the meaning of ‘infomercial’
The word ‘infomercial’ is a portmanteau word. A portmanteau is ‘a travelling case with two halves joined by a hinge’. Creating a portmanteau word can be defined as the act of joining two words and coining a new word. The new word has the blend of the sounds and meanings of the other two words. ‘Infomercial’ is a combination of the two words ‘information’ and ‘commercial’.
It is a television advertisement in a long format. Normally a TV advertisement is a short commercial of 10-20 seconds whereas an infomercial is a long-format television commercial which may last for over 15 minutes. It is quite informative and includes the contact details such as phone number and website address. It is also known as ‘teleshopping’.
Here are some modern portmanteau words:
Infotainment: (information + entertainment): information presented in such a way that it gives entertainment.
Edutainment: (education +entertainment): educational material with entertainment value.
Mockumentary: (mock + documentary): a feature film that mocks documentary films.
— rayanal@yahoo.co.uk