else.”53 The idea that it is wrong to end a sentence with a preposition has been opposed by almost all grammarians for almost a century, to say nothing of linguists, who have been against it for even longer. However, there are still two places where one may find calls for adherence to this rule. The first is in Internet comments. This is unsurprising, as these frequently serve as bastions for the ill-informed and bilious of many stripes. The second holdout is a bit more puzzling: college writing centers. The writing center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, warns “In formal writing, avoid ending a sentence with a preposition when you can do so without the resulting sentence structure being a tortured one.”54 Arizona State University has a Web page that hews to this line as well, telling students “Generally, you should try not to end your sentences with prepositions; this is especially true for formal, academic writing.”55 A Web page from the University of Iowa, titled “Common Errors to Avoid on Term Papers,” states: “It has become acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition in conversational speech. Term papers, however, should not be written in conversational language.”56 No, presumably they should be written in the language of eighteenth-century linguistic scolds. That the rule should continue to exist in the lower intestine of some websites is of little concern; the impotent rants of anonymous Internet commenters should have a negligible effect. But it is quite distressing to see it being actively taught in colleges and universities. The fact that these schools are still teaching this is similar to if they had decided to bring back the long S, capitalize all substantive nouns, and use thou for the second person singular, rather than you. Our greatest hope in overcoming this nonsense lies in the fact that the college students to whom these warnings are addressed will likely pay them no more mind than anything else they are taught. Shortly after graduating they may have some notion that there is something that one shouldn’t do to a preposition, but will be unable to recall quite what it is. VERY “I am very pleased to see you,” is another error of speech. One should either say, “I am pleased” or “I am very much pleased.” —Josephine Turck Baker, Correct English, 1899
We shall be very pleased to see you in January, wherever we are. —D. H. Lawrence, letter to Max Mohr, October 31, 1927.
By this point it is likely that you have already formed an opinion of whether or not you care for this book. Some of you might mention it to a friend or acquaintance and say “I am very interested in this book,” while others might well say “I am very repulsed by this book.” Whatever differences in opinion you have on the subject, you will at least have one area of commonality, which is that many grammar writers of yore would consider both of those statements to be incorrect. To those who have not spent much time reading grammar guides of old it will be rather puzzling to hear that the phrase “I am very pleased to meet you” is not up to snuff. What in the world is wrong with saying you are pleased to meet someone? Aha! You have improperly used the adjectival very (as an intensifier) to modify pleased, which is the past participle of the verb to please. The reasoning here is that there should be an adverb, standing in as a buffer to shield pleased from very. In other