6 Comments

What a wonderful piece! I especially loved the explanation of grammar via architecture, which I’ll likely drop in random conversations regardless of the topic. Thank you, Ann!

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Thank you so much! This one was close to my heart and I'm glad it struck a chord.

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This piece was a joy. I've loved style guides since I was in junior high school reading Fowler and Strunk. They add to the treasure of language. I am compelled to quote Dreyer on ending sentences with prepositions: "Ending a sentence with a preposition (...) isn't always such a hot idea, mostly because a sentence should, when it can, aim for a powerful finale and not simply dribble off like an old man's micturition."

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Thank you! That's one mystery solved! I'm so glad you liked this. I found myself riled by listening to these people on the radio hammering away at this little rule. I meant only to give it a paragraph but it became a whole plea...

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Beautiful, fun, funny, educational and compelling. (How many rules did I break with that fragment?!)

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Why thank you! Would not have expected to grab a busy person's attention with a post on prepositions! Not a rule but a contested issue: Oxford comma or no Oxford comma after "educational"?

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