Jane's Posts

Sep 3 1998 12:00 am

[Is it considered bad grammar to use the phrase "about how" ?]

[Yes.]

I am fully prepared to believe you. But may I sheepishly inquire as to WHY "about how" is evil?

You'll forgive my twitch of skepticism; I spent so many years trying not to split my infinitives before a surly group of British linguists rudely laughed "never mind!" And that was a really FAMOUS rule!

Shoot! Put me on the spot, will you, you whippersnapper? Me, the monosyllabic arbiter of acceptable grammar!

The truth is: It just sounds wrong. I think what jars me is your use of an adverbial phrase as the object of a preposition. After a preposition, I expect a noun or noun phrase.

To use your example, I would follow the preposition with "the Viking conquest of the congo." Now that's a noun phrase.

I think this is all Louis L'Amour's fault.

jane