Introduction

We’ve made it to the fifth book of the Harry Potter series and the fifth week of our lessons learning grammar through reading. This is where things get intense. So intense, in fact, that we don’t . . . know . . . if we’ll be able . . . to go on . . .

Okay, okay, so we can go on. So far, we’ve looked at homophones and evil Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, commas and basilisk fangs, interrogative sentences and boggarts, and subject–verb agreement and gillyweed. Now it’s time to study ellipses. (I know it’s not as exciting as learning the stupefying charm or Petrificus Totalus, but, alas, it is important.)

If you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just yet, I advise you to do so before you continue reading this post. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of spoilers, in which case, please do read on.

Ellipses and the Order of the Phoenix

In non-fiction, ellipses (. . .) serve specific functions. They can either be used to show that something has been omitted from a quotation, or they can be used to show that the writer has taken a pause. The former use is much more common in academic writing of any kind. There are different ways to format ellipses. These vary depending on the style guide being used. Some style guides require a space between each period in an ellipsis, while others require no spaces at all. (In case you’re confused, ellipses is the plural form of ellipsis.)

What purpose does the ellipsis serve in fiction writing? This type of punctuation is usually found within character dialogue. It usually indicates a pause. Basically, it helps the reader imagine exactly how characters are saying their lines of dialogue. Let’s look at a few examples from Phineas Nigellus, Nymphadora Tonks, and Ron Weasley.

“You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts . . . but you cannot deny he’s got style . . .“

Phineas Nigellus—or, rather, his portrait in the Headmaster’s office—is commenting on Dumbledore’s impressive disappearance. Nigellus is not Dumbledore’s biggest fan, so he’s somewhat reluctant to compliment Dumbledore’s “style.” Ellipses are used in this quotation to show that Nigellus is reluctant to make this statement; it is as if he is trying to stop himself from saying it. If you were a disgruntled former Slytherin Headmaster, you might find yourself relying heavily on hesitant punctuation as well.

Her eyes widened as they fell on the broomstick in Harry’s right hand. It was his pride and joy, a gift from Sirius, an international-standard broomstick.

“And I’m still riding a Comet Two Sixty,” said Tonks enviously. “Ah well . . . wand still in your jeans? Both buttocks still on? OK, let’s go.“

Tonks is jealous of Harry’s broomstick. An ellipsis is used here to show that Tonks is changing the topic, as there is no point in her brooding in envy over Harry’s Firebolt when they are about to embark on a very dangerous journey. On a more serious note, all wizards- and witches-in-training should heed Mad Eye Moody’s previous warning about keeping wands in their back pockets. After all, “Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!”

“I’ll make Goyle do lines, it’ll kill him, he hates writing,” said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle’s low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. “I . . . must . . . not . . . look . . . like . . . a . . . baboon’s . . . backside.“

The ellipses used in this quotation give the reader information about the way Ron is saying his line. He is adding long pauses between each word because he is imitating Goyle. He is poking fun at the length of time it would take Goyle to write lines. This surely isn’t Ron’s most mature behavior, but what else could Dumbledore have expected when he made Ron a prefect?

Conclusion

Sometimes in life, you just . . . don’t quite know . . . what to say. Even wizards and witches have to take a bit of a pause sometimes, and that’s where ellipses come into play.

Subject–Verb Agreement and the Goblet of Fire

I’d like to start today’s lesson with a disclaimer: If you don’t find house-elves to be adorable in every way, you aren’t going to be a big fan of this post. But unless your name is Malfoy, I really doubt that’s going to be a problem.

So far in this series, we’ve covered homophones, commas, and interrogative sentences. Today’s Harry Potter lesson is going to look at subject–verb agreement. Or, as I like to call it, “that thing that no amount of magic can make Dobby learn.” As I’ve mentioned before, this post most definitely contains spoilers. Don’t ruin this magical story for yourself if you haven’t read it yet: go, read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and return only after your mind has been thoroughly blown.

Learning Subject–Verb Agreement from House-Elves

For most native speakers of English, subject–verb agreement is an automatic process. Most people don’t have to think about properly conjugating verbs when they are speaking, as subject–verb disagreements very obviously sound incorrect. In written language, however, or for non-native speakers of English, subject–verb agreement can be a bit more difficult to grasp.

Luckily for us, house-elves don’t have a great grasp of subject–verb agreement, either. Let’s take a look at some mistakes made by Dobby the house-elf to learn more about subject–verb agreement.

“Socks are Dobby’s favourite, favourite clothes, sir!“ he said, ripping off his odd ones and pulling on Uncle Vernon’s. “I has seven now, sir . . . but, sir . . .” he said, his eyes widening, having pulled both socks up to their highest extent, so that they reached to the bottom of his shorts, “they has made a mistake in the shop, Harry Potter, they is giving you two the same!”

Dobby starts off strong in the above quotation. Are is the correct form of to be to go with the noun socks, as socks is plural. I’m afraid, however, that it is grammatically all downhill from here. Because the subject in the second sentence is the first-person singular I, the verb form for to have should be have. Similarly, the next sentences should say they have and they gave. Though I’m sure you get the concept at this point, let’s look at two more examples, just because Dobby is adorable and we love him:

“But most wizards doesn’t want a house-elf who wants paying, miss.”

Correction: “But most wizards don’t want a house-elf who wants paying, miss.” Because the word wizards is plural, the correct form here is not does not (doesn’t), but do not (don’t). Just as most wizards do not want to pay their house-elves, most house-elves do not want to use proper grammar. That’s just the way of the wizarding world.

“You has to eat this, sir!“ squeaked the elf, and he put his hand in the pocket of his shorts and drew out a ball of what looked like slimy, greyish green rat tails. “Right before you go into the lake, sir—Gillyweed!”

Correction: “You have to eat this, sir!” If the subject were a different pronoun—namely, he or she—then has would be correct. It turns out that when you’re saving someone’s neck by providing the answer to one of the Triwizard Tournament challenges, it doesn’t much matter how well you construct sentences. Who’d have thought?

Conclusion

Subject–verb agreement can be tricky, especially for non-native speakers of English. I hope this article has given you a greater understanding of this topic. If nothing else, I hope it has inspired you to treat your house-elves with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Remember to check out next week’s post, which will cover the use of ellipses in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Interrogative Sentences and the Prisoner of Azkaban

So far in this series, we’ve used some of the best quotes from Harry Potter to learn about homophones and common comma usage. Today, we’re going to look at the third book in the series, the one that causes readers to start having a lot of important questions about the story, like, who is this Sirius Black guy, anyway? What actually happened on the night of Harry’s parents’ deaths? What kind of person was James Potter? And, most importantly, what kind of Patronus would you cast if you had to face a Dementor?

In honor of all the questions brought up by the third Harry Potter book, this article is going to take a look at the four different types of interrogative sentences.

Warning: This post contains spoilers. I won’t apologize for any of them, but I will encourage you to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban before proceeding. I’m sure it’s something you’ve been meaning to get around to anyway, right?

Introduction to Interrogative Sentences

There are several types of sentences. The major sentence types are declarative sentences, imperative sentences, exclamatory sentences, and interrogative sentences. Interrogative sentences ask questions. They always end with question marks, so they are very easy to identify. There are four types of interrogative sentences: yes or no interrogatives, alternative interrogatives, wh- interrogatives, and tag questions. Let’s look at each type in greater depth.

Type 1: Yes or No Interrogatives

“You think the dead we have loved truly ever leave us? You think that we don‘t recall them more clearly in times of great trouble?”

Dumbledore is using interrogative sentences to make Harry question his beliefs about death. These questions are examples of yes or no interrogatives, as yes or no are the only possible answers to these questions. When it comes to using these types of sentences to prove a point, Dumbledore is pretty much a trained professional. Though, to be fair, what isn‘t Dumbledore a pro at?

Type 2: Alternative Interrogatives

“Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always ill at the full moon, or did you realise that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?”*

Ah, yes, that awkward moment when Hermione knows that Lupin is a werewolf but doesn’t know that Sirius Black isn’t a murderer. Lupin is wondering how Hermione discovered his canine attributes, so he asks her a question using an alternative interrogative sentence; that is, he gives her more than one possible answer framed within the question itself. Of course, in this case, the answer is “both.”

Type 3: Wh- Interrogatives

“There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?”

Professor McGonagall is using a wh- interrogative—that is, an interrogative question beginning with a wh- word (who, what, where, when, why, whom, whose, which, and—an exception—how)—to figure out why her Transfiguration class is feeling so down after their Divination lesson with Professor Trelawney. Professor McGonagall is the only teacher I know who can pull off interrogative statements as well as she can pull off turning into a cat while still commanding the respect of her students. She’s also the only teacher I know who can turn into a cat—but, I digress.

Type 4: Tag Questions

“That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we’ve ever had, wasn’t it?”

In the above quotation, Ron uses a tag question. That is, he “tags” a question onto the end of a declarative sentence. Ron is asking the others to confirm his thought that the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson was the best they’ve ever had. Tag questions tend to be used quite a lot by people who are insecure about their own perceptions or opinions. Then again, if we had just seen Professor Snape in a lacy dress, we would probably think it was a pretty great lesson, too.

Conclusion

This concludes today’s Harry Potter lesson for learning grammar through reading. Have you learned anything new about interrogative sentences today? Did you find this lesson interesting, or would you rather just read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban instead? What would your Patronus look like? What about your boggart? There’s quite a lot to think about after reading this book, don’t you think?

*Note: This quote has been slightly altered from its original form.