Comments on: Linguist vs Grammarian–The Fallout

By: --Deb

--Deb — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:48:09 +0000

I try to avoid prepositions at the end of sentences but don't agonize over it. There ARE times when it's better that way, no matter what the hidebound grammar police say, but I'm willing to comply the rest of the time. That's what rules are for! (Yes, I deliberately ended that with a preposition.) --Deb's last blog post..How to Be Convincing

By: J

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:53:37 +0000

Oh, and I just commented about my boss not liking my use of the perfect tense, and here you are reminding me where my bread is buttered. Thank you. I'll confess that I do notice when a preposition is at the end of a sentence, but if it sounds better that when than when I 'correct' it in my mind, I do understand the difference. My pet peeve is when people leave out the preposition all together, rather than dealing with its placement. I see this more than I would like. J's last blog post..I am my body

By: charlieomatic

charlieomatic — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:38:22 +0000

the dictionary widget on my mac is where this is from. "There is a traditional view, as set forth by the 17th-century poet and dramatist, John Dryden, that it is incorrect to put a preposition at the end of a sentence, as in 'where do you come from,' or 'she's not the writer I've come across.' The rule was formulated on the basis that, since in Latin a word cannot come after the word it governs or is linked with, the same should be true in English. What this rule fails to take into account is that Latin is not like English in this respect, and in many cases (particularly in questions and with phrasal verbs) the attempt to move the preposition produces awkward, unnatural-sounding results. Winston Churchill famously objected to the rule, saying 'This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.' In standard English, the placing of a preposition at the end of a sentence is widely accepted, provided the use sounds natural and the meaning is clear." charlieomatic's last blog post..Hiroshima

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:20:28 +0000

Great post! I love the story about overhearing your boss in the castle hallway. Working in a castle sounds awesome! I think that when it comes to deciding whether or not to bend the rules, we need to keep our audience in mind. When I write or edit a sentence that breaks a questionable rule, I always consider the client, then the audience. Seems to work. Melissa Donovan's last blog post..When it All Comes Crashing Down

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:47:49 +0000

Awesome. I personally choose to completely disregard the rule about split infinitives, because it was just made up in the first place by that man (whose name escapes me) who thought that latin was the perfect language that we should follow the lead of. Oh! A preposiiton at the end of a sentence! How ironic! I think that rule also came from the same guy, but I could be wrong.

By: --Deb

--Deb — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:52:08 +0000

@Lori--I haven't yet, but it's actually in my Amazon shopping cart, so ... some day! --Deb's last blog post..Linguist vs Grammarian–The Fallout

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:18:08 +0000

Exactly! Have you read Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies by June Casagrande? Fun read! Lori's last blog post..What Kind of Editor Are You?

By: --Deb

--Deb — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:14:16 +0000

It's like the dirty little secret that nobody wants to warn you about--How to Make Grammatical Enemies and Threaten People! --Deb's last blog post..Linguist vs Grammarian–The Fallout

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:23:26 +0000

SO true! I have a few friends who are grammar snobs, and they argue vehemently the grammar points and from which book they are correct (notice how I buried that preposition! Yay!). I've actually had three different responses to one of my posts about a style point I posted. And I've had people argue that this style book is antiquated whereas this is the ONLY book to follow. Then the next person will say the exact opposite. I think the point here is I need new friends. Lori's last blog post..The Sexy Side of Technical Writing

By: --Deb

--Deb — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:17:27 +0000

Thanks–it’s one of the things that I don’t recall seeing anywhere else, either. I’ve read experts’ opinions on which rules you NEED and how you can disregard others, but I don’t recall seeing anybody point out the inherent confusion when some people say, “Great, I won’t worry about THAT any more,” and all the other unenlightened (?) people shout at the horror… (grin)

–Deb’s last blog post..Linguist vs Grammarian–The Fallout