Oh dear - not quite right - again!

Hope this is allowed... A poem from the excellent Brian Bilston.

Rob
Heinous Deficiencies
A Statement from The Decaffeinated Protein Surveillance Society (Atheist Branch)

I before E except after C
is one of those weird and ancient rules
to which beige obeisance gets paid
when you’re at school

but it’s time it reigned no longer,
the rule being of little use –
it’s counterfeit, a sleight of hand,
and only serves to veil the truth.

The phrase makes us feel all ogreish,
a different species altogether,
for its heinous deficiencies
forfeit a life of leisure.

Surely a rule that’s conscientious
should therein bear its weight.
Yes, a few exceptions can reinforce
but not eight hundred and eight.

Sorry to inveigh so feistily
and deign to perpetrate this heist
but let’s seize the day (and cease this phrase) –
it’s time to get with the zeitgeist.

Is this the sort of English with which we should not put?

Howard

UP with which we should not put?

... ending a sentence with a preposition is a grammatical error up with which we should not put.

As long as it's clear and unambiguous it's correct in my book. Most of these so called rules are made up by academics, most of whom just want to show off their 'superior' education.

Edited By duncan webster on 20/05/2023 20:02:52

Quite .... which is what the above sentence demonstrates: if you say it the (technically) correct way, it sounds awful.

(And my "preposition" should have been "conjunction" I think - I'm sure, around here, someone will let me know).

Edited By Peter Greene 🇨🇦 on 20/05/2023 22:56:42