QUESTIONS
1. What's the difference between a preposition and a proposition?
2. Who recorded "The Preposition Song"? Why is it called that?
3. Who is credited with coining the rule that writers shouldn't end sentences with prepositions?
4. What word should "of" never replace?
5. What preposition should be used with the word "different"?
6. Who responded to an editor's demand that a sentence be reworded because it ended with a preposition with this statement:
"This is the sort of English up with which I cannot put"?
ANSWERS
1. A preposition shows a relationship while a proposition sometimes starts a relationship.
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| Tanya Tucker |
2. Tanya Tucker recorded "Hanging In." The hook for the chorus is "Hanging in, hanging out, hanging on."
3. John Dryden, a seventeenth century poet, is credited with the rule against ending a sentence with a preposition. Throughout history, writers have sometimes broken this rule. Sometimes the preposition at the end of a sentence is needed while at other times, it is unnecessary and incorrect.
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| John Dryden |
Examples: Where is the dog? Correct. Where is the dog at? Incorrect.
That is something I cannot agree with. Correct.
Which team are you on? Correct. Note that Which team are you? changes the meaning.
4. "Of" should never replace "have."
Example: I should have known he would do that. Correct.
I should of known he would do that. Incorrect.
5. Grammatically correct according to text books is the phrase "different from," but that's a frequent error made by many speakers and writers who use "different than."
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| Winston Churchill |
6. That sentence is attributed to Sir Winston Churchill.
BONUS QUESTION 1
What's wrong with the answer to question two?
BONUS QUESTION 2 (Multiple Choice)
Which is proper?
(A) between you and I
(B) between you and me
(C) between me and you
BONUS QUESTION 1 ANSWER
In the answer to question 2, the "in," "out," and "on" aren't used as prepositions. They're are all used as adverbs modifying "hanging."
BONUS QUESTION 2 ANSWER
Many people say or write (A) between you and I. For some reason, they think "I" sounds "more proper." (A) is incorrect.
Even more people, who don't care if they're proper or not, use (C) between me and you. (C) is incorrect because grammatically "you" is named before the speaker.
The correct answer is (B) between you and me because between is a preposition and the correct usage is to follow a preposition with the objective case of a pronoun, which is "me," while "I is the subjective case.
A personal question from me to you... I hope I haven't insulted anyone with these questions. I'm sure all of our readers and writers made a perfect score. Now I have a question that I'd really like every one of you to answer through comments.
DO YOU STAND IN LINE OR ON LINE?
In the South, we stand in line to wait for something. We tell children, "Please get in line," but many non-southerners say, "I had to stand on line to get the tickets."
What do you say and can anyone find a definitive answer whether in line is correct or on line?
Until we meet again, take care of … you!
