Re: However. . . LONG! was RE: because/since

[Nathan Harms <Nathan_Harms -at- ENABEL -dot- CCINET -dot- AB -dot- CA>]

>"Race, Paul D",racepa -at- whqpos4b -dot- daytonoh -dot- attgis -dot- com,Internet wrote:

>Not ending a sentence with a preposition or splitting infinitives
>- those aren't rules of English grammar, they were recommended by
>LATIN grammarians of Elizabeth I's day, because writing English
>this way would make it easier to do word-for-word translations
>into LATIN.

While i agree with the bulk of your post, Paul, i would propose that there is
another *very* good reason not to end sentences with prepositions... whether
it is a "rule" or not.

Prepositions, correctly used, prepare the reader for something to follow.
Therefore, when a sentence ends with a preposition, and the sentence that
follows does not continue the thought, the reader can become confused.

Example: "of"

1)  i am proud of my new printer.

2)  My new printer is something i am proud of.

In the first example, "of" is used correctly. The reader rightly expects an
idea to follow the preposition.  In the second example, the reader is taken
to the edge of the cliff and left hanging on "of".  For the sentence to be
correct, it might read, "My new printer is something i am proud of owning."

Such misuses of propositions drive me crazy, especially when they are easily
avoidable. My dictionary *excuses* such misuse with the explanation that it
is not easily avoidable.  Bull!!  Here is the example from my dictionary,
that is supposedly "hard to avoid".

"What did you do it for?"

This is hard to avoid??? Give me a break!!  What's wrong with:

"Why did you do it?"

It is sharper and much more to the point.  The dictionary's example leads the
reader to wonder "for......."

nathan
**********************************************************
      Via  ENABEL - Communications & Information Network
**********************************************************