Ending sentences with prepositions

From a Sentenceparts reader:

Help!

What is correct English? "Of what animal is this a part?"

"What animal is this a part of?"

or...something else altogether?

Thank you for rescuing me one more time, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Francoise

Francoise,

Each, IMO, are correct. It's a question of usage which involves a value system. The value in this case is that the normal prescription discourages ending a sentence with a preposition. However, avoiding this may lead to very awkward alternative constructions such as the one you gave.
The often over-quoted complaint by Winston Churchill goes: "Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put" points out the pitfalls of sometimes not ending a sentence with a preposition.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Jack Sands

I'm "excited" that they are "exciting"

Leslie Sykes reported for ABC Eyewitness News recently from the Burbank, California Boys and Girls Club where Olympic champion Michael Phelps was visiting while dispensing good will and good advice on water safety to the kids. Sykes described the scene:

"Phelps talked to an exciting group of youngsters at the Burbank Boys and Girls Club."

Ms. Sykes meant excited group of youngsters. The difference being that the boys and girls were not the agents or cause of the excitement, that agency fell to multi-gold medalist Phelps.

The exuberant boys and girls were the recipients of Phelps' thrilling visit, they produced the "effect" of being excited, stirred up, aroused. Phelps provoked the excitement, the kids reacted in an aroused manner.

exciting--present participle as adjective: thrilling, stirring, provoking, causing excitement

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Chelsea can't handle earthquake descriptions

Comedienne Chelsea Handler spoke of the 5.4 magnitude Chino Hills earthquake in Southern California 7/29/08 as a trembler--a person who trembles or shakes. (Concise Oxford Dictionary)

Is Handler personifying the earthquake (using anthropomorphism)? But if she is personifying earthquakes--giving them human qualities--why would such a fearsome "type" such as an earthquake tremble?

Handler, a normally articulate funny lady, drew attention away from the punchline on her show Chelsea Lately when she meant to say temblor, which means earthquake. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Temblor is taken from Spanish which takes the root from medieval latin tremulare, literally to tremble. Thus, it's easy to understand the mistake, which itself registers a magnitude of perhaps 2.0 on the Richter Scale.

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The Fed may "impact" you, don't turn your back!

Here we go again with the word "impact." From a recent headline on a financial web site called "Seeking Alpha":

"How the Fed's Decision Impacts You"

This time, Ben Bernancke and the Fed might impact you. Oh nooo... Once more, "impact" used as a verb means: press against, collide, crash, affect strongly, influence (advised to use with an adjective); pack in, squeeze in.

The Fed will press against us, or worse, squeeze itself in! Into what? Into our very selves?! Of course not, but because the word was used literally, we might be wary of turning our backs on the Fed and its chief operator Mr. Bernancke.

The headline could have read: "The Fed might make an adverse impact on you." This way, you use "impact" as a noun which means "influence," together with a qualifying adjective which clarifies the point.

Otherwise, if the Fed and Chairman Bernancke impact you, they collide with you just as two NFL football bodies collide with each other, or just as celestial bodies make terrible collisions out there in the enormity* of cold, dark space.

*See Dr. Seth Shostak's comment 7/29/08.

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The universe is "enormous." Right?

Said physicist Seth Shostak of the UFO phenomenon on Larry King recently: "I think they're out there because of the enormity of the universe."


Because Shostak holds a PhD in physics and, therefore deals with the physical world on astronomical levels, we must believe he was referring to the physical largeness of the universe, not its "enormity": atrociousness, offensiveness; terribleness on a vast (abstract) scale. (Concise Oxford Dictionary).

Probably Dr. Shostak meant to say "...because of the enormousness (or vastness, or massiveness) of the universe." Enormous meaning: very large, immense, huge in a physical sense. (Concise Oxford Dictionary).

While "enormity" begins with a cognate root, (from the same source), once more, it carries the connotation of "hugeness (in an abstract way) as of some terrible event." The point is, when using the word "enormity," its most common use is to refer to something "massively" terrible in the manner of a natural disaster or a world war, or some other immense fiasco which claims many lives, or time and energy on a very large scale.

H. W. Fowler in his Modern English Usage says: "The two words have drifted so far apart that the use of either in connexion with the limited sense of the other is unadvisable."

Dr. Shostak works for SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) which has been pointing its receivers toward the vastness of space for some time now without any response. If the undertaking ultimately fails, the enormity of the disappointment would be obvious.

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Admiral Michael Mullen Makes an "Impact"

Uh oh. Here we go again. Admiral Mullen, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, and an alumnus of this writer's high school, spoke the following to the to members of the foreign press at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C., responding to questions concerning creating stability in Iraq.

"Clearly, the ability (of the United States and others) to impact Iraq's economy...(would be helpful)."

If we allow that Admiral Mullen intended the figurative use of impact: "to influence Iraq's economy in some positive way," he would be speaking, well, figuratively. We should assume literal intentions when discussing such grave subjects as the situation in Iraq. Thus, if he is speaking literally, he would convey that we are literally trying to "pack something (good will? money?) into Iraq. This might make for visual drama of some sort but would certainly be ineffective, even silly.

Otherwise, Mullen used "impact" properly as a noun in a subsequent sentence:

“One of the unexpected outcomes that's had a big impact on security has been this group of some 70,000 concerned local citizens, who have taken back … their towns and their villages and their areas...”

Let us all hope that whatever ingenuous help Iraq receives, it will prove to have an impact.

"Impact" used as a verb means: to physically press firmly on or into something, to pack in. Clearly, nothing physical pressed against the country of Iraq other than the bombs dropped in the beginning of the exercise. A figurative use of impact allows for the "influence of a person or thing upon another person or thing," in ways positive and negative, but the word is most often used as a noun usually in a phrase with either "make" or "have" as: Ending sectarian violence in Iraq will have an impact on creating peace and prosperity.


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It'll Be "Harder" to Balance the California State Budget Gov. Schwartzenegger...Are You Listening?

In a Los Angeles Times editorial, November 9th, 2007, the Times' editorial writer recalls that in 2004 Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger claimed that just "spending less" would solve the budget deficit problems in California. Problem is, which revenue should be cut? A very useful automobile tax worth billions of dollars annually? "Yes," said the governor...Off with its head. And so, Californians got rid of the Gray Davis while gaining a few hundreds of dollars each at great public expense. Why eliminate an automobile tax which helps pay for public libraries, schools, road repair...

Said the editorialist: "The governor must restructure state finances into something more rational and sustainable...(but) that requires the kind of frank conversation that's hard in the best of times. It will be even harder now...." We agree, except for the use of the word hard.

"Hard" is an idiomatic way of expressing more eloquent and useful words such as: difficult, challenging, pressing. The same goes for the comparative of hard, harder, coming later in the sentence.

We should expect more eloquence from the Los Angeles Times editorial page, even if we agree with the content. Certainly, we cannot expect more than mere rhetoric and band aid policies from the state's chief executive.

The Writers Strike, or, The Writers' Strike

The local affiliate for NBC television in Los Angeles, KNBC, put up a graphic regarding the conflict currently taking place between Hollywood writers and their nemeses, the major studios. The graphic read:

The Writers Strike

Upon hearing the phrase, I personally thought: The Writers' Strike, or, the strike of the writers. But how is it I thought ...strike of the writers, or writers' strike? Because there is a choice when one hears the phrase that does not exist when one sees it. Why the choice I made? That's a personal idiosyncrasy, I suppose.

KNBC's headline graphic was appropriate and quite clear using the simple, declarative sentence in the present indicative tense for its news bearing headline: The Writers Strike.

Other, possibilities exist:

The writers go on strike, uses the helping verb go, which is too often used, yet which lends a dramatic feeling.

The writers are striking, uses the Present Progressive tense, which would be in error because the writers hadn't been striking before the headline broke. Present Progressive states an action still going on in the present, (501 English Verbs, Thomas B. Beyer, Jr. Ph.D.) suggesting it had been going on in the recent past, which had not been the case.

In any case, Go Writers!

Teeth May Become Impacted, But Judicial Sentences, Certainly Not

Celebrity legal reporter Harvey Levin made a big impact recently misusing the word "impact" when he commented on football star, dog abuser Michael Vick's guilty plea. He said to Larry King,

"If he (Vick) snitches it will impact his sentence." That is, by pleading guilty, Vick indicates he will cooperate with government prosecutors in a way that might lead to more convictions in the dog fighting/killing field.

What Mr. Levin meant to say was that Vick's snitching will likely, influence in a helpful way his ultimate prison sentence.

"Impact" used as a verb means: to physically press firmly on or into something, to pack in. Clearly, nothing will physically press against Vick's court decision. A figurative use of impact allows for the "influence of a person or thing upon another person or thing," in ways positive and negative, but the word is used as a noun usually in a phrase with either "make" or "have" as: Vick's snitching may have an impact upon his sentence.

If Levin made an impact upon the sensitive ears of some of us, the sound of the "collision" stemmed from a fatal error in usage.

Less Qualifications, Few Friends

Charles D. Ferguson holds a B.A. in mathematics from Berkeley, and a Ph. D. in political science from MIT. By degree, Dr. Ferguson is obviously a man of both letters and numbers. However, speaking of the mistakes made in Iraq by Paul Bremer, Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, and others just after the successful military invasion of United States troops, Ferguson broke a convention in the uses of "less" and "few." He said:

"Of the first 400 people who went into Iraq, less than a half dozen spoke Arabic..."

Dr. Ferguson should have said: "fewer than a half dozen spoke Arabic" because "few," "fewer" refer to number.

John B. Opdycke in the Harper's English Grammar tells us: "Few" refers to number and numbered units. "Less" refers to quantity. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "few" as "not many, amounting to a small number," and defines "less" as "of not so great size, extent or degree; of inferior dimensions, bulk or duration."

To paraphrase, Ferguson was not referring to their bulk or dimensions when he referred to Arabic speakers, he was referring to their number. In fact, he offered a numerical reference in the same sentence: a half dozen, or six. Some may ask, does this convention matter. The answer perhaps lies in the aesthetics of the utterance. It may only matter for those who know the difference. For those who do know, such an utterance is a particular thing of beauty, and misuse of the words may sound ugly or even tend to confuse.

Certainly, Dr. Ferguson meant number, not "size, extent, or degree" of Arabic speakers. However, he might have said correctly, "Though the 400 who arrived under Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority for post-war Iraq were not few, they possessed less qualifications than were required for a successful operation."

Or, more pointedly, "Because L. Paul Bremer and his proteges possessed less qualifications than desirable, the result was the United States wound up with few friends in Iraq."

Brain or Brains?

My wife and a good friend recently engaged in a friendly argument over the use of the word "brain." The friend claimed that the word may only ever be used in singular form. If she meant as used for the "...mass of soft gray matter in the skull," my wife's friend is correct when we are speaking formally. "Albert Einstein possessed a good brain." It is more "dignified" to use the singular brain to describe the qualities of wit or smartness (Fowler's Modern English Usage).

However, when describing someone informally as witty, clever, or smart, we tend to use the plural brains. If my wife was thinking of choice based upon circumstance, then she is correct. In informal, familiar situations, use the plural brains.

"Adam Sandler is a comedian with brains." Note, a useful adjective exists for our use: brainy. "Dick Cavett, a talk show host in the 1970's, proved a brainy interviewer."

Fowler also tells us that some phrases only permit use of singular or plural. No choice exists whether speaking formally or informally. You would never describe a melody that won't leave your head saying, "I can't get that tune out of my brains. " Nor would you say, "The man blew his brain out."

Prince William Joins Kobe

At a recent tribute to his late mother Princess Diana, Prince William graciously spoke to all those contributing to the success of the event. "It remains for Harry and I to...thank you...." he said with a charm reminding you of his mother's own appeal.

William's problem stems from using the subject pronoun "I" after the preposition "for." Pronouns following prepositions should be objective case pronouns. William should have used "me."

It remains for Harry and me to thank you.

It is easy to see where William went wrong. He was thinking, Harry and I want to thank you which is grammatically correct because no preposition lies in wait. Both Kobe and William may be forgiven for misspeaking; difficult to edit yourself while talking. We are hopeful these two celebrated individuals make no similar mistakes while writing.

Kobe Bryant's Misuse of Personal Pronoun, Nothing Personal

On May 28th we had to issue a citation to appear in "grammar court" to Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers who said, "...the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future."

Is it just all about "me"? Perhaps, yet in this case, "I" can mean "me" and be the correct grammar choice, sort of a "two for one" deal for Kobe.

Grammatically, Kobe's sentence contains a compound subject, two subjects. Because a subject lies in the subjective case realm (also called nominative case), it must actually be a subject. Although "me" is in the subject position, it is not a subjective case personal pronoun but a an objective case pronoun. Things happen to it; it does not do things. A common solution to the problem is to use each choice alone letting your ears do the work:

The Lakers have a different vision for the future works.

Me have a different vision for the future clearly does not work. The correct choice is I.

Kobe might have said: I have a different vision of the future from the Lakers as they have not done enough for me.

Provide Energy to Your Writing

After having composed all thoughts and having set them down in your "final draft," review your essay or paper and try to eliminate the following words from your writing: get, do, make, have, be. Eliminate all their forms as well: get, getting, got, gotten; do, doing, did, done, etc. Note, eliminating all the forms of be: am, are, is, was, were, be, been, being is perhaps not possible, nor desirable.

Inserting action verbs, where possible, will provide your writing verve (force, energy, zing). Allow get, do, make, have, and be to function as helping verbs which "help" the main verb (notional verb) do it's work.

Lacking energy: Fitzgerald made his reputation about Americans who got rich after World War II.

Energetic: Fitzgerald's stories emphasized those Americans who achieved great wealth after World War II.

Short Day, Shortened Day, What's the Difference?

Recently, a young cousin of mine told us he would not be attending school a full day the coming Monday, that it would be a "short day." I suggested to him the comic image of the phrase "short day," and that he might have used the phrase "shortened day" instead. In both cases the noun "day" is given an attribution, that is, a characteristic or quality: short and shortened.

Surely, we may speak informally while describing a short or a long day. Speaking figuratively often suits the purpose of providing feelings as well as meanings. Figures of speech are more colorful. "It's been a long day" means to most people, "difficult day," while "short day" conveys mercifulness because of lessened work. Yet if we mean to convey that a school administrator has lopped off a few hours in the school day, then we technically must say that he or she shortened the day resulting in a shortened day. Though technically it is a past participle, "Shortened" put before "day" serves as an adjective: What kind of day is it? When used in the predicate part of a sentence, however, it serves as a verb: "The principal shortened the day." What action did the principal take? He shortened the day. In this particular case, "shortened" is a verb in the past tense.

Look for a discussion of present participles in future posts.