1. Sample Handmade Responses
to Hale’s Sin and Syntax,
Chapter 6, Prepositions
with corresponding citations from the chapter
Angelo State University
English 4361: English Grammar
Dr. Laurence Musgrove
Department of English and Modern Languages
January 31, 2013
www.theillustratedprofessor.com
@lemusgro

2. “The most frequent prepositional sin is to replace one good, terse word with
a stack of prepositional phrases… Anytime you can replace a cluster of words
with one elegant one, do it” (104).

3. “Have you ever counted the number of ways windy writers and speakers
avoid the direct verb now?” (104).

4. “To test whether a word is a preposition, try putting it in front of the words
‘the log’” (99).

5. “The most common prepositional error is forgetting that the noun in a
prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition” (109).

6. “Some prepositional phrases are more dungeons than closets; trapped within
are much worthier verbs, yearning to burst out” (106).

7. “Scour your writing for prepositional barnacles worthy only of being scraped
away, and replace them with simpler words…” (105).

8. “Anytime you can replace a cluster of words with one elegant one, do it” (104).

9. “What’s with that headline…..rewrite the thing….which is possible with an
active verb and fewer prepositional phrases” (108).

10. “The most frequent prepositional sin is to replace one good, terse word with a
stack of prepositional phrases” (104).

11. “If you were to compare crafting prose to building a house, the nouns (and pronouns),
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs would form the foundation...prepositions might be
analogous to closet doors” (98). “Clear the clutter” (104).

12. “Prepositions often convey spatial relationships, telling us where X is in relation
to Y” (99).

13. “Prepositions create mischief…prepositions are indispensable” (101).

14. “Ideas expressed through prepositional phrases must be carefully crafted into
parallel pieces” (102). “Those two prepositional phrases are nice and
symmetrical, adding rhythmic value to the sentence” (102).