Re: CHAT: New Member With Questions

On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, David Peterson wrote:

>In a message dated 3/15/01 10:34:42 PM, zsau@YAHOO.COM.AU writes:
>
><< What is the difference between prepositions and particles?
>And are they really prepositions in English, given that they sometimes go
>after what they modify (like in 'where do you come from?')? >>
>
>Particles are things that aren't anything else, like "to" in the infinitive.
This has been mentioned a couple times, now. What's special
about 'to' before an infinitive?

>However, prepositions are prepositions in English.  For instance, in that
>sentence "Where do you come from?", it should read "From where do you
>come?"--we just don't talk that way much anymore.  Remember how teachers
>always said never to end a sentence with a preposition?
This is, of course, True, and we should _never_ do it. Mind you,
teacher never said anything about ending sentences with postpositions!

>The reason that
>"rule" came to be is because, way back when they were writing grammar for
>students in American/British schools, they decided that since you can't end a
>sentence with a preposition in Latin, you shouldn't be able to in English
>(makes no sense, but, nevertheless, that's where the rule came from.  They
>give the same reason for not allowing split infinitives, e.g., "to boldly go
>where no one has gone before" [I'm watching Voyager right now :)]).
Which, of course, is strange! How can you split "go"? ;)

>To make a little more sense, I think there are two things called
>"prepositions" in English: true prepositions and locative adverbs.  For
>instance, the "in" in "I am in the house" is different from "I walk in the
>room".  The first is a true preposition, and you can't end a sentence with it
The Doctor is in.

Padraic.

>-David

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