[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )

Subject: Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2001 14:04:14 -0700

Sandy Harris wrote:


No. The usage long antedates the prescriptivist rule. I think Chaucer
ended sentences with prepositions. Certainly Shakespeare did, and many
more recent writers do so routinely.

[snip]

It is not and has never been a rule in the sense of an accurate description of normal English usage.


Excuse me, but you seem to come in during the middle of the discussion. These are exactly the points I've been making.


Fowler and nearly every other respected prescriptivist see
NOTHING wrong with ending a clause with a preposition; Fowler
calls it a "superstition". ... Indeed, Fowler considers "a
good land to live in" grammatically superior to "a good land
in which to live", since one cannot say *"a good land which
to inhabit".


Actually, I wouldn't call Fowler a complete prescriptivist. At times, he can be, down to making arbitrary choices that seem based entirely on personal preference. At times, however, he does take a descriptive approach. For example, he concedes several times that trying to preserve an original distinction is a lost cause. On the whole, Fowler is far more interested in trying to write well than write correctly; his arguments tend to be practical ones.

As for "every other respected prescriptivist," I wouldn't venture to state an opinion. But, if what you say is true, I do wonder why the idea gets into textbooks and into so many people's heads, including many working professionals'.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"I work for the pleasure of stopping,
I stop for the pleasure of beer."
-The Mollys, "The Lang Town"



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Announcing new options for IPCC 01, October 24-27 in Santa Fe. Attend the entire event, select a single day, or sign up for a Saturday postconference workshop. http://ieeepcs.org/2001

Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.

References:
Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... ): From: Mark L. Levinson
Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... ): From: Bruce Byfield
Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... ): From: Mark L. Levinson
Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... ): From: Bruce Byfield
Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... ): From: Sandy Harris

Previous by Author: Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )
Next by Author: Re: Display or appear (read the dictionary!)
Previous by Thread: Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )
Next by Thread: RE: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads