At all other times I've absolutely no doubts about my literacy. A person who can speak, read and write ( all within reasonable limits, let me hasten to add) three languages can, I hope, lay claim to being literate, at the very least. In fact, at times, I can detect within myself a certain element of pride - you know, that thing which reputedly goes before a fall - in my 'proficiency' . This delusion lasts right upto the time I have to fill a form for anything - an account-opening form, a government form, a form to reserve tickets, online form, paper form, you name it. I just have to come face to face with a form to be reduced to a trembling, nervous wreckage of a human being. All these forms make me wonder if there exist two versions of each language - one meant for people to communicate with each other, to understand each other, and the other specifically designed to confuse them, to obfuscate issues , and to cloak facts under the garbage of legalese, bureaucratese and/or officialese - all 'languages' created by the Devil himself!
What is the matter with these people? Is it so difficult to prepare forms which ordinary people can understand without needing the services of a lawyer? Why do I have to struggle through a maze of verbiage to understand that all they are asking for is my name, age and address? I would like to be a fly on the wall when these organisations recruit the people who create these forms. It would be an educative experience. I'm sure that the men who design these forms are blood- brothers to those who devise those hellishly cryptic crosswords and spiritual descendants of Torquemada and Marquis de Sade. There must be a very strong streak of sadism and cruelty in their make-up.
You must be wondering why I've launched this diatribe today. Well, today morning an 'Office Assistant' ( we're not supposed to call them peons any longer, I'm told. Just as there are no salesmen in this world anymore, they've all been transmogrified into 'Sales Executives'. ) from a bank brought me an Account Opening form. Before I could say a word, he took out his ball-point pen, marked out the places where my signature was needed, and said simply, "Sign". Insulted, I said I would have to read it first. He permitted himself a ghost of a smile and said , " Sir, You won't understand it. " I leafed frostily through the form. He was right. But I had my amour propre to think of. ( "How many times do I have to tell you never to end a sentence with a preposition, Milind?", my venerable English teacher used to say.) To accept my 'form'al illiteracy in front of a peon would be a matter of shame. With what little dignity I had left, I told him to leave the form with me, saying that I would go through it in detail later, and that he could return in the evening to pick it up. Somehow, I don't think he was taken in by my bravado.
6 comments:
Isn't it quite common to end sentences with prepositions? I think its permitted.
Long, long ago, back in the dark ages when I learnt English, it was a strict no-no. I think it's still not permitted but more and more people tend to ignore the rule these days.
www.jimloy.com/language/prep.htm
www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/prepositions.html
dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/g30.html
I don't want to fight.I am just trying to prove my point.
Hooray! I just love a fight where both ( or one of the) parties pretend that they aren't really fighting, just trying to prove a point.
1) In my post I did end my sentence with a prepositon : "But I had my amour propre to think of." Then, tongue firmly in cheek, I added the 'admonishment' from my teacher, showing, so I felt, exactly what I thought about the whole business.
2) I've now dug out my battered, tattered ancient copy of 'High School English Grammar And Composition' by Wren & Martin, 83rd edition, reprinted January 1972, the one I used in school.(Yes, I still have it! In another twenty years or so I should be able to sell it as an antique.)Here's what it says on the subject :
The use of a preposition at the end of a sentence is awkward and is admissible only when it combines with a preceding intransitive verb to form a compound transitive verb; as,
He dislikes being talked about.
Such a result cannot be wondered at.
Mr.Fowler rejects this orthodox view and maintains "the legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English." He further remarks: "The remarkable freedom enjoyed by English in putting its prepositions late and omitting its relatives is an important element in the flexibility of the language. The power of saying 'A state of dejection such as they are absolute strangers to' instead of 'A state of dejection of an intensity to which they are absolute strangers' is not one to be lightly surrendered." (Modern English Usage)
Note 1.-When the object of the preposition is the relative pronoun 'that', the preposition is always placed at the end; as,
Here is the book that you asked for.
This is the house that he came to.
Note 2.-The preposition is frequently placed at the end when the object is an interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun understood; as,
What are you looking at?
That is the boy[whom] I was speaking of.
3)In the typical Indian educational tradition of rote learning and not allowing students to ask any questions, I guess we were given the rule without the exceptions and without clarifying that the 'rule' was, in modern usage, honoured more in the breach.
4)These days it is a matter more of style than grammar.
http://www.griffith.edu.au/centre/gupsa/eir/content_ending_a_sentence.html
http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/prepositions_lessons.htm
http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/pdf/sentence_endings.pdf
5) Since we are ( I hope) both on the same side of the argument and have proved the same point (though I went about it in a more round-about manner.), let's celebrate. Have a drink on me. To your very good health, R !
cheers!
Torquemada? A very apposite choice. The man with the strongest claim to have invented the cryptic crossword used Torquemada as his pseudonym. (Google for "torquemada crosswords" to find out more...)
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