Quick, tell me how many of you have struggled to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition? And by the same token how many have struggled to avoid using a conjunction to start a sentence.
Well, I am afraid, dear reader, you were dupped. Neither of these rules are really rules at all. In fact, they both stem from the Latin language. However, English derives more from Germanic languages than it does Romantic languges, so that's where we run into a problem. Let me guide you through why both are perfectly acceptable.
Ending sentences with prepositions
I once heard a joke about how two parties got along that goes something like this:
A couple from Georgia and a couple from the Northeast were seated side by side on an airplane.
The girl from Georgia, being friendly and all, said, “So, where y’all from?”
The Northeast girl said, “From a place where they know better than to use a preposition at the end of a sentence.”
The girl from Georgia sat quietly for a few moments and then replied: “So, where y’all from, bitch?” The original joke can be found here.
The idea is that ending a sentence with a preposition is somehow below the intellectual class, but I would argue it's only below people who fancy themselves to be the intellectual class.
See, in this case, the "where you all from?" isn't really a preposition. The "from" isn't actually a preposition, but a modifier to the verb "where".
Technically, such constructions are called adverbial particles, and the English language is on speaking terms with the construction. The Latin language called for all prepositions to fall before the noun, but like I said English plays more nicely with the German language than it ever did with Latin.
So next time someone tries to critique your use of a preposition at the end of the sentence, just ask them if they know what an adverbial particle is, and watch as that smug look falls from their face.
Starting sentences with a conjunction
We all know what conjunctions are thanks to time spent watching School House Rock (and if you haven't, you can just leave right now), but too many of us fear using one to start a sentence thanks to time under overzealous high school English teachers (by the way, if you still haven't left and still haven't seen the School House Rock video here it is).
Anyway, I am here to tell you that starting sentences with conjunctions is okay. No really, it's fine. I am not a high school teacher, so there's that to ease your fear.
I talked with my old high school teachers who forbade such activities, and they said they did so to keep students from creating sentence fragments because conjunctions can introduce independent or dependent clauses. The problem, though, is most younger students don't know the difference between the two, and so allowing a high school student to start a sentence with a conjunction may likely lead to a sentence fragment.
I figure most of use are beyond that point, so, really, there's no need to fear starting a sentence with an "and, but, or or" anymore.(In case you aren't beyond that point, here's a quick rundown of sentence fragments by my favorite English source, Purdue.)
Doing so actually creates extra emphasis that's required for such practices as persuasive speaking or writing.
So, in the hopes of casting off old chains, I suggest you go out and try writing a sentence with a conjunction as the first word. You'll feel better for doing so.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Minor differences: Use vs. Utilize
In the course of the past few weeks, I have considered changing the tone of this blog a very little bit. I understand I seem more than a little bit snobby, so in an effort to avoid alienating you dear readers, I am going to attempt to ease up on the elitism.
However, still expect engaging discussions about grammar and its nuances. Without further ado, let’s tackle a question that’s been on my mind for a while: use vs. utilize.
Definitions (According to Merriam-Webster)
Utilize: to make use: turn to practical use or account
Use: the act or practice of employing something
Of course, most writing guides advise people to avoid the use of “utilize.” A three-syllable word vs. a one-syllable word doesn’t seem to require a lot consideration. Shorter is generally better, but “use” doesn’t sound better, or at least to the untrained ear that is.
The reception of the trained ear
When I hear the word "utilize" I think someone is trying to say “use,” but that person may be unaware of the connotations of the word.
See professionals in the writing field find “utilize” pretentious in all the wrong ways. It commonly functions in the same way as “use” but it requires more letters and sounds to make.
”Utilize”, and the people who use it without cause, tries hard to sound smarter than it actually it is. It seems like a normal man donning glass he doesn’t need to appear smarter than he actually is.
The question then is, why use glasses if you don’t need them? Why use “utilize” when you can use “use”?
The problem with deception
I enjoy a good deception as much as the next person. I mean if such a deception wins a person the affection of other people, why not use a crafty deception? If that cute girl in the coffee shop loves men with glasses, why not wear the unneeded glasses?
And if a job asks for an established writer, why not use a word that seems to be in the vocabulary of a professional writer?
The problem, as I described earlier, is that the deception is severely limited in its deception as most trained writers scoff at the use of the word.
The correct use of "Utilize"
One, at this point, might question the need of “utilize” at all then. It’s more cumbersome than “use” and it means the same thing, so why bother? Actually, “utilize” has an established meaning.
According to the Oxford dictionary, Scientists use it to mean to “make practical and effective use of something”, so your body utilizes Vitamin C to take advantage of iron in your system (Thanks to the Oxford dictionary for the sample too).
So there’s a time and place for everything.
Solutions to avoid overuse
If you’re a scientist, use it: Do you have a degree in some form of science? Are you writing a scientific paper? Go ahead and use “utilize.” Otherwise, chop it out of your language.
Say it out loud every time you write “utilize”: Your annoyance at saying the word out loud will drive you to drop the word from your vocabulary eventually. In doing so, you put yourself in the position of the reader, and that’s something all writers need to do.
Again, that’s it. Hang with me as I struggle with perfecting this new format. I may go back to the old elitist format next week depending on this one’s reception.
However, still expect engaging discussions about grammar and its nuances. Without further ado, let’s tackle a question that’s been on my mind for a while: use vs. utilize.
Definitions (According to Merriam-Webster)
Utilize: to make use: turn to practical use or account
Use: the act or practice of employing something
Of course, most writing guides advise people to avoid the use of “utilize.” A three-syllable word vs. a one-syllable word doesn’t seem to require a lot consideration. Shorter is generally better, but “use” doesn’t sound better, or at least to the untrained ear that is.
The reception of the trained ear
When I hear the word "utilize" I think someone is trying to say “use,” but that person may be unaware of the connotations of the word.
See professionals in the writing field find “utilize” pretentious in all the wrong ways. It commonly functions in the same way as “use” but it requires more letters and sounds to make.
”Utilize”, and the people who use it without cause, tries hard to sound smarter than it actually it is. It seems like a normal man donning glass he doesn’t need to appear smarter than he actually is.
The question then is, why use glasses if you don’t need them? Why use “utilize” when you can use “use”?
The problem with deception
I enjoy a good deception as much as the next person. I mean if such a deception wins a person the affection of other people, why not use a crafty deception? If that cute girl in the coffee shop loves men with glasses, why not wear the unneeded glasses?
And if a job asks for an established writer, why not use a word that seems to be in the vocabulary of a professional writer?
The problem, as I described earlier, is that the deception is severely limited in its deception as most trained writers scoff at the use of the word.
The correct use of "Utilize"
One, at this point, might question the need of “utilize” at all then. It’s more cumbersome than “use” and it means the same thing, so why bother? Actually, “utilize” has an established meaning.
According to the Oxford dictionary, Scientists use it to mean to “make practical and effective use of something”, so your body utilizes Vitamin C to take advantage of iron in your system (Thanks to the Oxford dictionary for the sample too).
So there’s a time and place for everything.
Solutions to avoid overuse
If you’re a scientist, use it: Do you have a degree in some form of science? Are you writing a scientific paper? Go ahead and use “utilize.” Otherwise, chop it out of your language.
Say it out loud every time you write “utilize”: Your annoyance at saying the word out loud will drive you to drop the word from your vocabulary eventually. In doing so, you put yourself in the position of the reader, and that’s something all writers need to do.
Again, that’s it. Hang with me as I struggle with perfecting this new format. I may go back to the old elitist format next week depending on this one’s reception.
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