[net.nlang] Using a preposition to end a sentence up with

dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (03/28/84)

The rule prohibiting using a preposition to end a sentence up with (!)
was instituted several hundred years ago by John Dryden, the English
poet and Latin scholar, and based on the fact, as has been pointed out,
that it is never done in Latin.

Dryden's translation of Virgil's Aeneid, by the way, is a masterpiece.
I still remember large chunks of it from high school (where we got samples
of it in conjunction with studying the original).
	"Arms and the man I sing, who forc'd by fate
	 And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate..."

Dave Sherman
-- 
 {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!dave

cwb@cbneb.UUCP (Bill Brown) (03/30/84)

The title of the referenced article reminds me of a contest I saw once.
The goal was to create sentences with as many prepositions at the end as
possible.  I recall the winner had six or seven, but unfortunately I
don't remember the sentence.  Any suggestions out there?

dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (04/01/84)

~|  From: cwb@cbneb.UUCP (Bill Brown)
~|  The title of the referenced article reminds me of a contest I saw once.
~|  The goal was to create sentences with as many prepositions at the end as
~|  possible.  I recall the winner had six or seven, but unfortunately I
~|  don't remember the sentence.  Any suggestions out there?

The classic is:

	What did you throw that book I wanted to
	be read to out of about Down Under out for?

Strictly speaking, "Down Under" aren't being used as prepositions,
so you might want to take out the "about Down Under".


Dave Sherman
Toronto
-- 
 {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!dave

stekas@hou2g.UUCP (J.STEKAS) (04/04/84)

I liked Dave Sherman's 6-prepositions-at-the-end sentence but he had
to carefully diagram it for me before I could understand what it meant.
For the benefit of others who couldn't understand it either, I've
translated it into a clearer and better structured language - C.


	{ What
            { did you throw
                { that book
                    { I wanted to be read to out of }
	            { about Down Under }
                }
              out
            }
          for?
        }
	

                                                       Jim

rld@pyuxbb.UUCP (Bob Duncanson) (04/05/84)

<the throw-away line>

How about this one??

It seems there was a young boy whose father was accustomed to reading
bed-time stories.  Only this time the father got a book from the library
that was particularly boring/offensive, so the boy said he didn't want to
hear it and went up to his bedroom by himself.  A few minutes later, the
father appears carrying the "Strawberry Shortcake Visits the Smurfs"
or whatever it was, so the boy demands:

	"Why did you bring that book I didn't want to be read

[ready?  here they come]

	to out of up here for?"

-- 

	Bob Duncanson		AT&T Bell Laboratories,	Piscataway NJ
				{eagle,allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!pyuxbb!rld