Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums General Topics Q&A about words Ending sentences with prepositions Search Advanced Forum Search Forums Calendar Active Threads

Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Ending sentences with prepositions #127568 04/20/2004 12:12 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 If one were to gently chide a grammar nazi for ending a sentence with a preposition, should one use a comma as in "…the preposition, with which the sentence was ended" or not as in "…the preposition with which the sentence was ended"? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter No comma #127569 04/20/2004 12:23 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York You don't want what looks like a dependent clause just dangling there. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: No comma #127570 04/20/2004 12:26 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 We're saying that it's a restrictive clause? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: No comma #127571 04/20/2004 12:35 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York I am. But that's just me. Maybe, if you're not in a hurry, we should wait for others to weigh in. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: No comma #127572 04/20/2004 1:01 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 I'm not in a hurry. I checked out the infamous 'Churchill' quote (for which there seems to be no evidence that he ever attually® said it) and there seems to be only one of the many variants that has a comma in it. http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/churchill.html I was hoping to hear from Father Steve on this but he's been pretty mum lately. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: No comma #127573 04/20/2004 3:43 PM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 2,204 RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah RhubarbCommando Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 2,204 A bit ironic, really - Father being mum. However, on a more serious note, my grammar check (for what little it is worth ) accepts the sentence with or without a comma. Personally, I prefer it without but I think it might depend a little upon exactly what the beginnig of the sentence said, and how long it took to say. (i.e., is there a difference, from this point of view, between a simple and a complex sentence?) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ending sentences with prepositions #127574 04/20/2004 5:20 PM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 maverick Carpal Tunnel maverick Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 If one were to gently chide a grammar nazi Don't. It'll end in tears ;) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter grammar nazis #127575 04/25/2004 10:45 PM Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 34 tang newbie tang newbie Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 34 If one were to gently chide a grammar nazi ... Don't. It'll end in tears ;) Or Kristallnacht. Never in-fuehrer-ate a grammar nazi. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: No comma #127576 04/27/2004 12:16 AM Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 Seattle, Washington, USA Father Steve Carpal Tunnel Father Steve Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 Seattle, Washington, USA If a preposition is not that with which to end a sentence, then what is it for? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

Default Style BlackNTan Drab eBay GooG v2 infopop new dark new light original dark original stock rounded corners Slate snow sunny dropshadow theblues Touch Of Grey UBB.threads UBB.threads - Dark UBB.threads - Light UBBCentral UBBCentral - Crimson UBBCentral - Lime UBBCentral - Marshmallow UBBCentral - Mocha UBBCentral - Zen UBBT77 UBBT77 - Dark ubbthreads ubbthreads-dark Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk