Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith.org Forums General Topics Miscellany Prepositions
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
OP If it's a sin to end a sentence with one preposition, then presumably it's even worse to end it with two. How far can we take this? For the August 1968 issue of Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics, Darryl Francis devised one sentence that ends with nine prepositions. If the Yardbirds' 1966 single "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" were exported to Australia and then retrieved by a traveler, the question might be asked:
"What did he bring 'Over, Under, Sideways, Down' up from Down Under for?"
Inspired, Ralph Beaman pointed out that if this issue of the journal were now brought to a boy who slept on the upper floor of a lighthouse, he might ask:
"What did you bring me the magazine I didn't want to be read to out of about '"Over Under, Sideways, Down" up from Down Under' up around for?"
"This has a total of fifteen terminal prepositions," writes Ross Eckler, "but the end is not in sight; for now the little boy can complain in similar vein about the reading material provided in this issue of Word Ways, adding a second 'to out of about' at the beginning and 'up around for' at the end of the preposition string. The mind boggles at the infinite regress which has now been established."
-Greg Ross, Language 26 December 2012
----please, draw me a sheep----
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Prepositions LukeJavan8 12/27/12 05:58 PM Re: Prepositions zmjezhd 12/27/12 09:25 PM Re: Prepositions Faldage 12/28/12 12:20 AM Re: Prepositions tsuwm 12/28/12 04:11 AM Re: Prepositions Tromboniator 12/28/12 08:07 AM Re: Prepositions zmjezhd 12/28/12 01:59 PM Re: Prepositions A C Bowden 01/02/13 01:40 AM Re: Prepositions Faldage 01/02/13 02:17 AM
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,912Posts229,283Members9,179 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 17
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613tsuwm 10,542wofahulicodoc 10,510LukeJavan8 9,916Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith.org