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I've always found the use of "am" after "and" to be strange. I believe it's grammatically correct, but in formal e-mails, for examples, I don't like the way it sounds. For instance, in an e-mail I wrote recently: "I’m alumni of Barret High school and am wondering if there’s any way I could get a hold of my transcripts from my time there?"

Is there a way to get around using this?

Thanks

LPH
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Daniel Allen
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    In this case, you could switch out "am" for "was". – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Apr 27 '21 at 16:18
  • There's nothing to stop you writing "I am _ and I am _" if you find the version without the second "I" looks strange. – Stuart F Apr 27 '21 at 16:26
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    'I'm an alumnus ...'. But the register would probably get the speaker some strange looks. // 'I am an invalid and wondering whether special seats are available' shows a near-unacceptable example of the zeugma. You could use one I am and one I'm to avoid the awkward-sounding (but grammatical) double I am, in all but the most formal of writing. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 27 '21 at 16:27
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    There is a relationship between your fact as alumnus and your request for transcripts. "As an alumnus of Barret High, I am requesting my transcripts." No am, no wondering, no if. – Yosef Baskin Apr 27 '21 at 16:51
  • One other thing I forgot to mention above, don't put a question mark after a statement. The sentence "I am an alumnus and wondering..." is a statement, not a question. "Wondering" falls short of posing an actual question, so the question mark you've put at the end is improper. A period should go there instead. – Benjamin Harman Apr 27 '21 at 16:56
  • I do not see why you should not write "I am an alumnus of X School and wonder if there is any way ... ." Or you could use "... and I wonder if... ." But why not use the word 'alumnus'? I would normally write this. "I was a student at X school. Could you please send me ... etc."? – Tuffy Apr 27 '21 at 17:02
  • @Benjamin Harman I believe that modern practice is to use the question mark as an answer-invitation marker. Thus the declarative question 'You're going to see Bill?' needs one to show it isn't a declarative sentence. Polite requests ('Would you shut the door please, Jill.') correspondingly don't take one. According to this, the question mark could be used in OP's example if it were in fact conversational to prompt for an answer (indicated by intonation in the spoken form). In an email, it looks pushy. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 27 '21 at 18:10
  • This came up a while back in a similar context. – John Lawler Apr 27 '21 at 21:20
  • "I'm an alumnus of Barret High School and wondering if there's any way I could get a hold of my transcripts." - You're not plural people, so you're not "alumni," but "an alumnus," like @EdwinAshworth said. "School" is part of the proper name of the school, so the S should be capitalized. Repeating "am" isn't needed and is deadwood. The proper phrase for what you mean is "get a hold of," not "get a hold on." Finally, "from my time there" is also deadwood to be cut since you wouldn't be asking for your transcripts from any other time, like from your time not there, for that'd be absurd. – Benjamin Harman Apr 27 '21 at 22:41

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There is nothing whatsoever strange or ungrammatical about omitting a personal pronoun before 'am', 'are', 'is', etc, to avoid repetition. From the Swansea (Wales, UK) University web site, in the 'Student FAQ section':

I am an International Student and am experiencing financial difficulties. Is there any help available to me?

Michael Harvey
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