Re: Directions below, etc.

[Lisa Higgins <lisarea -at- LUCENT -dot- COM>]

So then, Bob Johnson is all like:

> In this case, your coworkers are correct.  They are not, in fact, ending
> a sentence with a preposition.  In this case, "below" is an ADVERB.
> Check the online Merriam Websters if you doubt me.  (I did to confirm my
> initial suspicion.)

Adverb? I'd call it maybe an adjective if pushed, and the M-W also
lists 'below' as an adjective, with the definition 'written or
discussed lower on the same page or on a following page,' which seems
to fit. However, in this case, that might tend to argue for 'below
directions,' which sounds just plain wrong.

If we just take the sentence apart, though, my take is that 'below'
is still a preposition, with 'this paragraph' or somesuch as
understood.

You have a great point, though. It's very important to remember that
the parts of speech are descriptive. That is, if I say, "'Below' is a
preposition," I mean that temporally, just as I would if I said, "Joe
is wrong." Maybe 'below' functions as a preposition in this case, and
Joe, usually a pretty astute guy, just missed the boat on this one.
(Pretend I digressed into a defense of E-Prime here. There are people
in my life who expect no less from me.)

This is the same sort of thing that happens with the oft-quoted "That
is errant pedantry up with which I will not put," in which the
usually-a-preposition 'with' serves, in that case, as a verb
particle, part of the verbal phrase 'put up with,' meaning
'tolerate.'

And the most important reason, as a technical writer,  to listen to
your ear more than your old Language Arts teacher...

> Besides, "the below directions" is grating just to think about!

Lisa.
lisarea -at- lucent -dot- com