[Gllug] Schoolboy Grammar

[Stuart Sears]

 On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:21:52 +0100, John G Walker wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:57:53 +0100 Stuart Sears <stuart at sjsears.com>
> wrote:
>
>>  English grammar is really very weird anyway, as it appears to have
>> been an attempt to apply the niceties of Latin grammar to a 
>> non-latin
>>  language.
>
> One of my bugbears is the "you cna't end a sentence in a preposition"
> nonsense. This is true in Latin but it's perfect okay to do so in
> English. Fowler calls t a "modern affectation" and points out that, 
> in
> the King James Bible, in Genesis chapter 28, I believe, God ends a
> sentence in a preposition.

 But the bible was written by humans and then translated into other 
 languages by different humans.
 (now I'm beginning a sentence with a conjunction, another of "those 
 arguments"). Would that particular sentence have ended in a preposition 
 in the original Aramaic (or whichever language it was written in).

 As I understand it**, the general rule of thumb is
 "You should not end a sentence with a preposition if the sentence would 
 convey the same meaning with the preposition removed"

 Sentences with phrasal verbs in them commonly end with a preposition.
 
>>  A classic example was the 'split infinitive' silliness, which
>>  thankfully appears to have gone away now.
>
> You mean "to have finally gone away"!

 Well, perhaps. Reading it back, that particular sentence does sound a 
 little off.
 Would you care to dig out the rule that proscribes ending a sentence 
 with 'now' ?

 How about "which now thankfully appears to have gone away."

 :)

 Stuart

 ** which of course means very little
-- 
 Stuart Sears RHCA etc.
 "It's today!" said Piglet.
 "My favourite day," said Pooh.
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