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Brain freeze - 'and growing'

  • 26-04-2018 10:19am
    #1
    Gate12
    Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭


    Is it correct to say, "We have 5 employees, and growing." Does the sentence make sense, and should the comma be there?

    I must be having a premature senior moment because I've read it ten times and that's knocked any sense out of it for me now! I could say something like, "We have 5 employees and continue to grow," but I'm short on space. Thanks a million in advance.

    Edit - it's '5 employees and counting' duh


Comments

  • #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,018 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I'd prefer 'and growing' in that situation, but go with whichever you think. You will be inundated with cvs either way!


  • #3
    Gate12
    Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭Gate12


    Cheers. I’ll try both again and stare at them for too long, though either seems fine at this stage.


  • #4
    Chancer3001
    Registered Users Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    And growing makes sense.

    And counting doesn't.

    And growing means you expect to grow your work force of 5.

    And counting means you've counted 5 employees and there are still more to be counted. Unless they're very small people I doubt this is the case


  • #5
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,325 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    How about "We currently have five employees, and are still hiring"?


  • #6
    hullaballoo
    Administrators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,707 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭hullaballoo


    You're missing the "are" imo.

    "We have 5 employees and are growing."

    When you're being concise, it's ok to omit redundant words like the second "we" in the fully articulated sentence "we have 5 employees and we are growing" but because the verb ("have") following the first "we" is a different one to the one required by the second "we" ("are"), you need to use it.

    If that's a bit abstract, you can use any verb combination. Take the fully articulated "I went to England and I had my holiday". The second "I" is redundant as in "I went to England and had my holiday" but the "had" is necessary for the sentence as otherwise:

    "I went to England and my holiday"


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  • #7
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,325 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    The only difference in that would be that holiday is a noun, and growing is an incomplete verb.


  • #8
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    No one has mentioned the comma?

    I don't think it should be there. The "and" joins two statements that could be made on their own,
    "We have 5 employees."
    "We are growing."
    so the comma is redundant or am I wrong?


  • #9
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,018 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I'm not sure what would be strictly correct, but the comma looks ok to me. Would the sentence sound a bit 'breathless' without it?


  • #10
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    looksee wrote: »
    I'm not sure what would be strictly correct, but the comma looks ok to me. Would the sentence sound a bit 'breathless' without it?

    I see your point and but it seems I might have been right for the wrong reasons.

    https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma-before-and/

    https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/30516/should-i-use-a-comma-before-and-or-or .


  • #11
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,018 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I would not argue at all that you are correct, I think you are. In that situation though I think the comma is needed to provide the 'drama', 'not only are we this, but we are this too'. I am open to correction, but I feel that it is not a proper sentence anyway, adding the comma makes it into a kind of slogan.


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  • #12
    Yakuza
    Registered Users Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    Chancer3001 wrote: »
    And counting doesn't.

    And counting means you've counted 5 employees and there are still more to be counted. Unless they're very small people I doubt this is the case

    No, "and counting" is a perfectly fine way to say a number is increasing.

    So "We have five employees (and counting)" would be fine.

    https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/and-counting


  • #13
    Ragnar Lothbrok
    Registered Users Posts: 1,860 ✭✭✭Ragnar Lothbrok


    looksee wrote: »
    I would not argue at all that you are correct, I think you are. In that situation though I think the comma is needed to provide the 'drama', 'not only are we this, but we are this too'. I am open to correction, but I feel that it is not a proper sentence anyway, adding the comma makes it into a kind of slogan.

    I think an em dash would make more sense in this case: We have five staff — and counting.

    Personally, I'd prefer growing to counting.


  • #14
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,018 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Ragnar Lothbrok wrote: »
    I think an em dash would make more sense in this case: We have five staff — and counting.

    Personally, I'd prefer growing to counting.

    As an ex typesetter/graphic designer I am a bit put out to say I never realised that's what that dash was called! (And having looked it up, there is an en dash too, which I did not know about).


  • #15
    tac foley
    Registered Users Posts: 5,504 ✭✭✭tac foley


    Remember to write numbers, and not to use numerals. That is 'five' not '5'.

    tac


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