Paul,

The question assumes that the two prepositions are not interchangeable at all:      "to" is right and "on" is wrong.  What the question misses is that choice of preposition depends on meaning.  "Damage to the plants" and "damage on the plants" don't mean the same thing.  This is, unfortunately, typical of prescription judgments, that they assume we all get the same meaning out of a text, and this is clearly not the case.  A careful writer will choose the preposition with care and won't default to a single constant choice.

Herb

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of PAUL E. DONIGER
Sent: Fri 5/13/2005 8:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: more on the SAT
 
SAT publishes a "Question of the Day" on its web pge; here is today's question:

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.




Whereas the caterpillars of most butterfliesA are harmless, moth caterpillars causeB an enormous amount of damage onC Dplants, forest and shade trees, clothing, and household goods. No error E



    [input] (A)
    [input] (B)
    [input] (C)
    [input] (D)
    [input] (E)

What would you answer? They say that the answer is "D" because the caterpillar can cause damage 'to' something but not 'on' something. It seems to me to be a very fussy answer (and if it is so rigid, then isn't the question skewed and unfair?). The damage is ON the plants and was caused by the caterpillars, so why can't 'on' be as good as 'to' (or at least an acceptable response?)?

Curiously yours,

Paul D.


"If this were play'd upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction" (_Twelfth Night_ 3.4.127-128).

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