Search results for 'tag:Prepositions' matching tag 'Prepositions'

prep on vs in

New2grammar — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:19:23 GMT

Another question about prepositions, still on vs in.

The unnamed still photographer was in stable condition after five Iraqi policemen struck him on the head with AK-47 rifles, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

Can I say "She hit the sexual predator in the head with her purse filled with rocks and ran away"?

I've heard both preposition when it comes to "head"

Thanks in advance!

Re: 'Propulsively' - a word? Why/Why not?

Grammar Geek — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:57:35 GMT

How fortunate that your whole life isn't over yet, so you can keep learning. I learn stuff here all the time. I'm wrong often enough, but not about this one.

Don't feel too bad. People who'd be taught their whole lives that Earth was the center of the universe suffered worse fates than a rule for suggesting otherwise.

(I don't take quite the same degree of descriptivist approach as Kooyeen. I have "standard business English" as my standard, not "whatever people say makes it correct," but honestly, really, and truly, there is NO RULE about never ending sentences with a preposition. People takes cases like "Where're you at?" which is nonstandard, and over-apply them to things like your "What do you need to go to the store for?")

Re: 'Propulsively' - a word? Why/Why not?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:08:37 GMT

Well, since you are the grammar geek then I have no option but to accept your answer. I have no rebuttal other than, "that's not what I was taught my whole life". I went to private schools and was taught, I guess, classic grammar. So, needless to say, I would basically be hit with a ruler if I ended a sentence with a preposition or if I used an adverb incorrectly.

Re: 'Propulsively' - a word? Why/Why not?

Grammar Geek — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:22:11 GMT

Anonymous
I'm sure you could do a google search and find tons of books where highly educated native speaking experts end their sentences with prepositions. How many books contain a sentence like . . "that's what she needed to go to the store for."? Countless. It's fine. You can say it. But that sentence is not grammatically correct. It sounds fine. People say and type it all the time. But, it is absolutely not grammatically correct.

Sorry, Anon, but YOU are the one who is incorrect. It's perfectly grammatical to end sentences with prepositions. *IF* there was ever a rule saying that doing so is not grammatical, that rule is entirely obsolete, even in formal writing. To say otherwise is "the type of nonsense up with which I will not put," to borrow a famous quote.

Re: 'Propulsively' - a word? Why/Why not?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:12:59 GMT

That's understood. You can use it if you want. I'm asking about it in the context of grammar and it is grammatically incorrect. I'm sure you could do a google search and find tons of books where highly educated native speaking experts end their sentences with prepositions. How many books contain a sentence like . . "that's what she needed to go to the store for."? Countless. It's fine. You can say it. But that sentence is not grammatically correct. It sounds fine. People say and type it all the time. But, it is absolutely not grammatically correct.

I'm not arguing with you. I just think you are misunderstanding the context of the question. 'Propulsively' as an adverb is not grammatically correct.

Re: "I would be surprised..."

New2grammar — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:49:54 GMT

Suppose I am describing boxes of emergency supplies without parachutes strapped to them being dropped from aircrafts.

Peace,

I hope you don't mind me trying to correct your sentence.
Aircraft is uncountable, as far as I know. Also, I think the correct preposition that goes with strapped is 'onto'.

sentence1

New2grammar — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:40:06 GMT

I was looking for the bottle of wine which my brother gave me as a birthday gift when I saw my boyfriend asleep in the patio chair with an [empty bottle of wine/an empty wine bottle] [by/at] [his foot/feet].

Three questions

1Is there any difference between empty bottle of wine and an empty wine bottle?

2. Do both prepositions deliver the same meaning in this context?

3.Are both choices 'foot vs feet, acceptable and natural in this context?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Participial Construction??

Mister Micawber — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:48:42 GMT

.
Your examples are of participial construction and rightly bear the same subject as the main clause. However, participial constructions also exist outside that relationship.

With the wind blowing abeam, we quickly tacked to the inlet.-- Here, the participal clause is the object of a preposition.

Re: Experience

Rotter — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:56:38 GMT

Marius

I looked at the sites you have mentioned here.

You are correct. It should be 'experience in'. For me to write 'experience in' sounds natural.

I just looked at my Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

It says 'knowledge or skill gained while doing a job is uncountable and the preposition is 'in'.

Mine is very old. Printed in 1995.

You have some experience in teaching, computing, etc.

I read the following last week.

You should have experience of teaching English for ...

This was written by a native English speaker.

I just checked with online dictionaries too. If you look at the on line Cambridge dictionary, it uses the preposition 'of' . On line dictionaries use the latest or rather state of the art stuff.

I reckon on line dictionaries are better than my old paper dictionries. On line Webster and MSN dictionaries don't provide details.

These things are confusing.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=27061&dict=CALD

Is a preposition needed?

Anonymous — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:39:30 GMT

Many of these institutions are labelled âeducationalâ or ârehabilitativeâ

Is this ok, or should it say : labelled as ...

Thank you for your help.