Stranded Prepositions

A 1957 story by James Thurber includes a sentence with oddly stranded prepositions. This is part of a complete episode.

Transcript of “Stranded Prepositions”

Earlier, we were talking about prepositional pileups, like it’s really coming down up here.

In 1957, James Thurber did something similar in a book.

He wrote, the day I got dressed and was about to leave the hospital,

I heard a nurse and an intern discussing a patient who had got something in his eye.

It’s a bad city to get something in your eye in, the nurse said.

Yes, the intern agreed, but there isn’t a better place to get something in your eye out in.

I really feel sorry for anybody who’s trying to learn English.

Those are outstanding.

Outstanding?

Yes, in a field.

877-929-9673.

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