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Does anyone else have an inner grammarian that comes along and complains at inopportune moments? And -- technically -- the grammarian is correct, but that doesn't necessarily make the writing better?
I want to describe Tifa as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the night before. Or as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the night previous. Or the same clothing she'd worn previously. (Although I like being specific that she wore it at night, not just in general.) Or as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the previous night.
All but the first are correct, but -- dangit! -- the incorrect one sounds better!
So I asked my husband.
He said: Does anyone really pay attention to that anymore?
(I raised my hand.)
He said: I mean besides you and the Grammarian Your Mother Warned You About (which is the nickname we have for a friend of ours).
I know that the 'no ending a sentence with a preposition' rule has fallen out of grace, and that it's generally only followed if it would make the sentence sound stupid or awkward. But now I'm annoyed that I can't figure out a way to write the sentence where it is grammatically correct by the rules I learned (ages and ages and ages ago) and still sounds... good.
Does anyone else have an inner grammarian that comes along and complains at inopportune moments? And -- technically -- the grammarian is correct, but that doesn't necessarily make the writing better?
I want to describe Tifa as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the night before. Or as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the night previous. Or the same clothing she'd worn previously. (Although I like being specific that she wore it at night, not just in general.) Or as wearing the same clothing she'd worn the previous night.
All but the first are correct, but -- dangit! -- the incorrect one sounds better!
So I asked my husband.
He said: Does anyone really pay attention to that anymore?
(I raised my hand.)
He said: I mean besides you and the Grammarian Your Mother Warned You About (which is the nickname we have for a friend of ours).
I know that the 'no ending a sentence with a preposition' rule has fallen out of grace, and that it's generally only followed if it would make the sentence sound stupid or awkward. But now I'm annoyed that I can't figure out a way to write the sentence where it is grammatically correct by the rules I learned (ages and ages and ages ago) and still sounds... good.
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Date: 2009-07-16 12:59 pm (UTC)From:THAT SAID I also believe that good writing trumps all. If the grammar is a bit off but the writing is better for it, keep it.
Also, "the night before" has kind of entered the vernacular as well. Heck, the Beatles have a great song called that. =)
no subject
Date: 2009-07-16 06:48 pm (UTC)From: