Of the two sentences below, which one is "more" correct and why? Anyone have a clue?
but certainly is not limited to........
but is certainly not limited to.......
but certainly is not limited to........
but is certainly not limited to.......
#@$%* English!
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The second one. I vaguely remember something about those little words always coming before the verb. Now, why that was, no clue 
The second one, and I'll tell you why. The modifier in these examples is "certainly". In the sense that you want to convey, certainly has to modify the word "not", not the word "is". You want to say "certainly not", not "certainly is". Clear as mud yet? Essentially, the first sentence contains a misplaced modifier and is therefore incorrect.Elwyn said:
Hope this helps.
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I agree. The grammar is correct in each, but the emphasis differs. Say them out loud, stressing by turns the "certainly" and the "not" in the various places and the one that you want will probably grab you. On the other hand, most likely you have already tried that approach.Medievalist said:
The target audience includes, but is certainly not limited to, young adults who read fantasy/adventure/science fiction.
vs.
The target audience includes, but certainly is not limited to, young adults who read fantasy/adventure/science fiction.
Thank you all on this!
To me, good writing cannot always be grammatically correct. Sometimes correct grammar can make sentences read and sound clunky. But, when writing a query letter, I’m afraid that the reader is looking for correct grammar; but I really don’t know for sure.
vs.
The target audience includes, but certainly is not limited to, young adults who read fantasy/adventure/science fiction.
Thank you all on this!
To me, good writing cannot always be grammatically correct. Sometimes correct grammar can make sentences read and sound clunky. But, when writing a query letter, I’m afraid that the reader is looking for correct grammar; but I really don’t know for sure.
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in the full sentences, you changed the order of them, so based on the full sentences, the first one is correct.
I think this absolutely is a grammar question, about misplaced modifiers. I’m not sure when you would ever, in a negative sentence, want certainly to modify “is” instead of “not.” Can you guys explain that to me cuz I’s confloozed? (but always ready to learn something noo).ColoradoGuy said:
Huh?
In the above statement, I would have written "want to certainly modify" vs. "want certainly to modify."
I'd probably be wrong, but it just sounds better to me.
Actually, I'd leave out certainly because it seems confusing (to me).
CaroGirl said:
In the above statement, I would have written "want to certainly modify" vs. "want certainly to modify."
I'd probably be wrong, but it just sounds better to me.
Actually, I'd leave out certainly because it seems confusing (to me).
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Elwyn said:
I'd remove certainly. It's excess baggage.
I prefer the second, but not for a grammatical reason. Both are grammatically correct; it's a style / usage issue.
It's not a misplaced modifier. Parse the sentence.
Elwyn said:In the above statement, I would have written "want to certainly modify" vs. "want certainly to modify."
I'd probably be wrong, but it just sounds better to me.
Actually, I'd leave out certainly because it seems confusing (to me).
Oh dear . . . here comes the dreaded split infinitive chasm . . .
I decide each of these on the facts of the case and on sound. "The target audience...certainly is not limited to..." has a defensive tone. You'd use it to rebut a previous assertion that the audience was limited to...
"Is your mother a prostitute?"
"She certainly is not!"
If you're merely emphasizing that the audience isn't limited to..., "is certainly not limited" works. As above, though, you don't need "certainly" this time.
"Is your mother a prostitute?"
"She certainly is not!"
If you're merely emphasizing that the audience isn't limited to..., "is certainly not limited" works. As above, though, you don't need "certainly" this time.
Medievalist said:
I agree. This isn't particularly a grammar problem. It's more a problem of the weakness and superfluity of an adverb.
caw.
Certainly
I, too, would remove "certainly." Having said that, I think it is a grammar problem. It should be "certainly not."
I, too, would remove "certainly." Having said that, I think it is a grammar problem. It should be "certainly not."
What sentence are all of you even talking about? It does not seem clear to me what you are correcting.
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Adverbs are a very strange thing -- they can go almost anywhere.
Certainly it's not limited to...
It's certainly not limited to...
It certainly is not limited to...
It's not limited to, certainly,...
It comes down to what sounds the best...
Certainly it's not limited to...
It's certainly not limited to...
It certainly is not limited to...
It's not limited to, certainly,...
It comes down to what sounds the best...
This has been said already, but I wanted to affirm it. Both sentences are correct, but they each say something a little different.
"but certainly is not limited to ..." This sentence indicates the speaker/writer is sure (certain) that the issue at hand is not limited to ...
"but is certainly not limited to ..." This sentence indicates that the issue at hand is surely (certainly) not limited to ...
You see the difference?
"but certainly is not limited to ..." This sentence indicates the speaker/writer is sure (certain) that the issue at hand is not limited to ...
"but is certainly not limited to ..." This sentence indicates that the issue at hand is surely (certainly) not limited to ...
You see the difference?
Reading these posts, it began to feel like when you repeat a word over and over in your head until it doesn't sound like a real word anymore. Now "certainly" looks like a funny word to me. 
But I agree. I thought adverbs could be put almost anywhere in a sentence, depending on what style and tone the writer is trying to express. I think the placement of "certainly" can suggest not only a defensive tone, but also can give the sentence a more formal or conversational tone. That's why they're fun to play around with.
But I agree. I thought adverbs could be put almost anywhere in a sentence, depending on what style and tone the writer is trying to express. I think the placement of "certainly" can suggest not only a defensive tone, but also can give the sentence a more formal or conversational tone. That's why they're fun to play around with.
veronie said:
I guess, after reading them over several times, it sort of seemed like each could mean something different. But when I reversed them, imagining the speaker was certain in the 2nd one and the issue was certainly in the 1st one, they sounded fine that way, too. Seems a bit ambiguous.
maestrowork said:
The only requirement is that there be a verb--and the copula "be" counts.
In case anyone was dying of curiousity, this is one of the few totally cool things Modern English inherited, syntacticly, from Old English.
Yeah, I thought y'all would be ecstatic
reph said:
but certainly is not limited to........
but is certainly not limited to.......
Neither example is a complete sentence. It is a little difficult to give a right or wrong answer when the rest of the sentence is not given. It is also difficult to give an answer when the anaphoric reference is not present. I would like to see what is before the conjunction.
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