Pages

Monday, September 5, 2011

Don’t abuse the preposition “to” (2)

Don’t abuse the preposition to. In other words, don’t try to force it to do the work of other prepositions. Previously, I posted examples of this abuse: here are some recent examples:

“Studies have shown that every $1 investment in sanitation results in a benefit of anywhere between five to [sic for and] ten times that amount.” (Source)

“Climbing is different to [sic for from] other gravity assisted sports like snow boarding or skydiving.” (Source)

“Now obviously there are some basic ‘rules to [sic for of] the road’ that determine how people should interact in a functional civil society.” (Source)

The Takeaway: Be precise with your prepositions. It is a mark of a well-educated, well-read, careful writer. Need I say more?

See disclaimer.