Auffie’s Random Thoughts

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Ending a sentence with a preposition

Some grammarians insist that it is poor English to end a sentence with a preposition. However, sometimes it is awkward to do otherwise. For example, the quip that is commonly attributed to Churchill makes the point:
This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.
On the other hand, one can go to an extreme, and say to his mother at bedtime (thanks to John Derbyshire of National Review):
Aw, Mom, what'd you bring that book I don't like to be read to out of about Down Under up for?
Down Under, of course, refers to that beautiful land otherwise known as Australia, but if we consider them in their usual part of speech, here we have eight prepositions in a row at the end of a sentence!

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