I sent out an email yesterday with these words in it: "I've got a stack of work I need to catch up on."
Odd sentence there, especially coming from someone who (infrequently and foolishly) prides himself on using proper English. Are those really two prepositions at the end of that sentence?
The alternative just doesn't sounds right. "I've got a a stack of work on which and upwards with I need to catch." (Or something to that effect.)
Who talks like that? Modern Grammarians have petitioned to throw out that antiquated rule, and I, for one, am in favor of it. Sloppy writing can lead to the occasional trailing preposition, and let's avoid those for sure, but sometimes the alternative can sound even worse.
Reminds me of this quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill (I can't be bothered to look it up) and probably, at best, it's been bastardized over the years: "Ending a sentence in a preposition is something up with which I shall not put." Well put.
Further reminds me of an old English Grammar joke, popular in the obscure circles I traveled in during my college days. "A prospective student visiting Harvard stops a professor in the quad and asks, 'Can you tell me where the Registrar's office is at?' The professor says in his stuffiest voice, 'This is Harvard, young man, where we do not end our sentences in prepositions.' The young man thinks for a second then rephrases, 'Can you tell me where the Registrar's office is, asshole?'"
2 comments:
Craig would definitely agree with throwing out that rule. He gets frustrated with people who insist on adhering to it, despite how it sometimes can sound.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I think sometimes it's best to avoid reinventing the wheel. End a few sentences with prepositions.
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