TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Sentence ending with most prepositions From:George Allaman <gallama -at- LOOKOUT -dot- ECTE -dot- USWC -dot- USWEST -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 11 Jan 1996 11:21:55 -0700
Mark! Careful with the H and P words. We're in mixed company here.
Thanks for you contribution, but now I must defend my honor as a writer.
I believe the reason one ends a sentence with a preposition is because the
object of the preposition is also the object of the main clause, and
therefore must appear in the main clause. In your first example, "lady" is
the object of "was" and so must follow that verb instead of "with". The only
way to undangle (look it up) the preposition is to provide an interrogative
pronoun, as in "with whom".
Your further examples are grammatical spaghetti for more reasons than the
dangling preposition - you've separated the first "with" from the clause
it belongs to. There is no reason to do that. So it's disqualified. Sorry!
Okay, okay, you're right about "up" being used as an adverb. I think "out
of" would have to be compound, too, so I guess it only counts for one whole
preposition, for a total of two in my sentence. No big deal. But you
haven't topped it yet!
On Wed, 10 Jan 1996, Mark Levinson wrote:
> What did you bring the book I don't want to be read out of up for?
> ** Now I've lost all my faith in Mensa. To begin with, the sentence
> ends with exactly one preposition, since "up" is used as an adverb.
> Secondly, there is no problem ending a sentence with as many
> prepositions as you like.
> 1 preposition: Who was that lady I saw you with?
> 2 prepositions: Who was that gentleman I saw that lady I saw
> you with with?
> 3 prepositions: Who was that lady I saw that gentleman I saw that
> lady I saw you with with with?
> And so ad infinitum. Harrumph and phooey.
> __________________________________________________________________________
> ||- Mark L. Levinson, mark -at- sd -dot- co -dot- il -- Box 5780, 46157 Herzlia, Israel -||
> || You can't judge right by looking at the wrong. - Willie Dixon ||
|George Allaman | |
|Tech Writer | <clever, meaningful |
|Denver, Colorado | quip which somehow |
|Office (303) 624-1619 | summarizes my life |
|Home (303) 771-8060 | philosophy> |
|Alternate: georgea -at- csn -dot- net | |
