Just a quick update as it’s a Bank-Holiday weekend here in Ireland. Why are they called Bank Holidays? Quite simply, these were originally days when it was decided that banks would close and no trading could take place, though they very quickly became popular among the general population as a day of leisure. Nowadays though many shops and business remain open, banks continue to be closed.
That’s Galway today, in somewhat unseasonal warmth and sunshine. I suppose it’s not really unseasonal (it is June!) but we’re always taken a little by surprise by sunny weather here in Ireland. While most of us appreciate and enjoy the weather, I’m always curious about how we talk about it here. We have no problem saying the weather’s beautiful, or gorgeous, or lovely, but when we start talking specifically about the temperature, we tend to fall back on cooking metaphors.
It’s absolutely boiling!
It’s roasting!
I’m roasted so I am!
This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.
– Winston Churchill (probably) on an editor mangling a sentence in his memoirs that had ended in a preposition
Can you end a sentence with a preposition? This has long been a subject of debate in grammar cirlces, though currently most people suggest that it’s fine.
Before we look at whether ending a sentence with a preposition is acceptable or not, we should first ask: what is a preposition? They’re tricky little words such as to, at, in, on, under, with, above etc. Basically they’re like connective tissue, or mortar between bricks. Or little tugboats pulling heavy ocean liners around. They don’t seem to do much on their own, but we need them to join the main concepts of sentences together.
—So that’s N… I… A…
—N!?
—No, N.
—M, ok.
—No, N.
—Yeah, that’s what I said, M.
—It’s N, n for nuisance.
When I decided to call my blog English-Language Thoughts, I paused after first seeing the title typed out. I knew of course that it was the correct title, but it didn’t seem so aesthetically pleasing with that little hyphen in there. It makes it asymmetrical, too heavy and clumped together on the left. English Language Thoughts would probably look much better.
There are a lot of stadia in this city, aren’t there? Do you think there are any octopi in the sea? I’m also curious about the cacti around here: in fact, I’m interested in all the flora and fauna!
You may not find much wrong with the above. Well, hopefully you’ll think “Who on Earth would actually say that!?” But in terms of grammar and vocabulary, it wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.
What about this though: Continue reading
English-Language Thoughts 