Because it deals with the verb issue, Nancy's article is helpful with this particular problem. Over the past few years, however, I've noticed an increase in student misuse of prepositions in many other situations (that is, prepositions that seem illogical). I don't know where it comes from, but I suspect that it might be due to the decrease in reading classic texts and the increase in the use of Instant Messaging among our students. I know that prepositions change meaning over time (I often have to point out the differences, for example, in Shakespeare's use of 'from' or 'without' to my students), but it seems that these apparent errors are not meaning based.
 
Has anyone else noticed these preposition problems? Has anyone done any research on it? And, perhaps most importantly, has anyone found a logical and consistent approach to solving it?
 
Thanks,
 
Paul D.

----- Original Message ----
From: Nancy Tuten <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 8:32:44 AM
Subject: Re: usage question

Cynthia, this issue is addressed in a small article a colleague and I wrote a few years ago. You can read it at http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/052101.htm. Let me know whether or not you find it helpful.

 

Best,

Nancy

 

Nancy L. Tuten, PhD

Professor of English

Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program

Columbia College

Columbia, South Carolina

[log in to unmask]

803-786-3706

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cynthia Baird
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 12:53 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: usage question

 

Dear colleagues,

 

A parent recently asked me a question for which I had no ready answer.  The question is actually one that I have experienced much frustration over for several years--my high school textbooks and usage textbooks seem to have no ready answers for acceptable preposition usage in a variety of situations.

 

The question is this:  Do students graduate from  high school or do they graduate  high school?

 

I would love to hear from you people.

 

thanks

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