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First, I must make an important clarification. The article referred to up several times as a preposition. When the use of up is merely a vernacular quirk and adds no meaning to a statement, I contend that it is a preposition...not because it tells of location or position, but only because "preposition" is the word's normal and common state. In that state, using up does nothing to alter the function of the verb. For example, in this sentence,

After driving 200 miles, Bill stopped to fill (up) his gas tank.

every word in the sentence has exactly the same function and meaning regardless whether the word up is included.

However, for those instances in which attaching up gives the verb a whole new meaning, it is not a preposition but instead an adverb. For example, in this sentence,

Before merchandise is made available for sale, it is marked up to allow for profit.

up is an adverb: the meaning of "mark" is completely different from the meaning of "mark up."

When I protest the addition of "meaningless prepositions," I am not referring to the use of the adverbial up. As an adverb, up is clearly anything but meaningless. To further clarify, I do not advocate avoiding the word up at all costs; I simply question our curious habit of adding it in cases when it contributes nothing to meaning.

Continuing discussion of up's part of speech would benefit from the the thoughts of a grammarian. If that describes you, please write in!

Some readers supplied more examples of up's changing the meaning of a verb. Here are a few of the best:

shut (to close) vs. shut up (to cease talking)
look (to observe) vs. look up (to search for specifically, as in a directory)
blow (to apply or direct pressurized air) vs. blow up (to cause to explode)
screw (to insert a spiral-shaped metal fastener; or, to take undue advantage of) vs. screw up (to make a mistake)

Finally, let's put a fun spin on this conversation about up. Send in a sentence that contains a verb whose meaning is changed by the inappropriate addition of up, with an unexpected or hilarious effect. The only catch is the sentence must make sense with or without the up but result in two entirely different meanings. Note the difference adding up makes in these two examples:

When it came to great prices, Gino's Furniture had the competition beat (up).
Even the most resolute prisoner may begin to crack (up) after hours of relentless questioning.

These sentences are not as easy to write as they may sound. For this reason, there is no time limit on your submissions. Select answers may be printed in future issues.

Not-so-idle Musings

Rules of the Road

While backing out of my driveway the other morning, I paused for an approaching car to pass. To my annoyance, although the other driver clearly had the right-of-way, the car stopped when it reached my driveway instead of continuing past. I waited. The other driver waited. We were positioned so that there was a tree blocking our views of each other's windshields. I suspected that driver must have been waving me on, but without being able to see hands behind that tree, I couldn't be certain.

Finally, after a minute and a half of complete standoff, the driver started moving forward again, quite slowly and uncertainly. I then checked the road, pulled out, and continued on my errand.

Similar scenes play out on the road all the time, most frequently at four-way stops. We have guidelines about who has the right-of-way in almost all kinds of situations, but often people either don't understand those rules and therefore don't follow them, or in a misguided effort toward courtesy--as I'm quite sure was the case that morning--forego right-of-way to allow the other person to go first.

What is intended as a kindness can create a situation that is frustrating and dangerous as the two drivers try to guess each others' next move, with varying degrees of success, resulting in continued standoff, frantic gesturing, or even a collision.

Personally, I wish we'd do each other a simpler kindness: just follow the rules.

Usage Tip

I vs. me vs. myself

Of all the possible pronoun errors one could make, the confusion of I/me/myself surely is among the most common, and of those, it seems myself causes the most trouble.

If you are uncertain of the difference, you are far from alone. Many people who probably ought to know better, including editors, TV journalists, and even an English-teacher-turned-assistant-principal I once worked with, commonly use myself when they really mean me or I.

The good news is, common as the error may be, it's not hard to identify and fix. Begin by defining each pronoun in grammatical terms and examining a simple example of correct general usage.

I: subject pronoun, used when the speaker is the person performing
Ex: I baked cookies.
me: object pronoun, used when the speaker is the person receiving
Ex: Cynthia baked cookies for me.
myself: reflexive pronoun, used when the speaker performs and the action comes back to him
Ex: I ate dozens of cookies and made myself sick.

Confusion usually occurs when the pronoun is used as part of a group instead of alone.

Wrong: You may submit your suggestions to either Phil Jackson or myself.
Right: You may submit your suggestions to either Phil Jackson or me.
Wrong: Jane, the committee, and myself will work on the proposal tomorrow afternoon.
Right: Jane, the committee, and I will work on the proposal tomorrow afternoon.

It's easy for that wrong pronoun to be disguised by a group. The speaker would probably not have made the pronoun error if the group factor were not present.

More obviously wrong: You may submit your suggestions to myself.
Right: You may submit your suggestions to me.
More obviously wrong: Myself will work on the proposal tomorrow afternoon.
Right: I will work on the proposal tomorrow afternoon.

Therefore, use the individual as a test. Identify the personal pronoun that is correct when used alone, then continue to use that same pronoun when adding other people to the statement. Try it step-by-step with this new example.

You are drafting a memo requesting to meet with your manager to resolve some problems expressed by many workers in your department. You are writing the memo on your own behalf, but Sue James and Chuck Johnson also want to be included in the meeting. How should all your identities be listed in this sentence?

___ are among a group of employees concerned about the new work schedule.

Try it first using just your pronoun. (Here, as often, this will require changing the form of the verb; that's normal.)
Result: I am among a group of employees concerned about the new work schedule.
Add the other people back to the sentence. (Don't forget to return the verb to plural!)
Result: Sue James, Chuck Johnson, and I are among a group of employees concerned about the new work schedule.

One final tip: in most cases, grammatical courtesy recommends listing others first, regardless which personal pronoun is correct. An exception would be phrasing such as this:

I, along with a larger group including Sue James and Chuck Johnson, am concerned about the new work schedule.

Such phrasing implies that "I" is assuming responsibility for or leading this group, so be careful about separating identities.

Word-wise Challenge

May 20 Challenge answer:
The quote came from the writings of "Poor Richard," character of Ben Franklin's invention.

New Challenge:
We all know about metaphors, rhyme, and many of the other common devices used in writing. But how about the lesser-known ones? Can you name the device of this description?

using excessive or redundant words to convey a meaning
Ex: I think that's a terrible color on you, in my opinion.

Submit your answer by July 22, 2007. Readers who answer correctly are entered to win two complimentary hours of any level service from Admin Maven.

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