1. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    Starting with a preposition - Over?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by peachalulu, Nov 4, 2012.

    This doesn't feel like a fragment - just want to make sure - oh, here's my sentence -


    Over the ravioli is a squiggle of sauce decorated like a red, black and white milk snake.


    I started with over because the previous sentence includes the phrase 'pillow of ravioli' and
    I didn't want it to show up in the same pattern, near the end, echoing it.
     
  2. captken

    captken Member

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    Why not?

    Sometimes you have to go with what feels right. I am definitely not a stickler for the rules of grammar.
    Over has been used as the first word in a well known and loved sentence and I haven't heard any complaints.
    Remember "Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go?"

    "I started with over because the previous sentence includes the phrase 'pillow of ravioli' and
    I didn't want it to show up in the same pattern, near the end, echoing it." Did you catch the "echo" as you wrote
    or with proof reading? I almost never catch these things as I write.
     
  3. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    I try not to edit as I go but I'm endlessly looking backwards, always tinkering, changing a word, a
    dirrection.
    I tend to fret over each sentence. Perhaps too much.
     
  4. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    Starting with a preposition is perfectly acceptable. After all, word order is important in emphasizing certain words and not others.
     
  5. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    I read milk SHAKE and was really confused for a while.... This isn't useful, I just thought I'd share. Sorry.
     
  6. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    ...'over' to start is ok, but the sentence makes no sense because as worded, it has the sauce being decorated, not the ravioli...

    "...a squiggle of sauce decorated like a red, black and white milk snake."
     
  7. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    Not sure why you think starting with a preposition might make it a fragment. Confused.
     
  8. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    it's not a fragment, since if you reverse the order of the opening prepositional phrase, 'a squiggle of sauce is over the ravioli' makes it clearly and definitely a full sentence, albeit a very poorly worded one...
     
  9. steve119

    steve119 New Member

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    I think she means way the sauce appeared on the dish reminded her of a Milk Snake.
    I think it is fine to start a sentence with the word over but the sentence here does need rewording
     
  10. steve119

    steve119 New Member

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    how about re phrasing the sentance to be more like
    "poured over the ravioli is a squiggle of sauce the red, black and white colours decorate the dish like the markings on a milk snake"
     
  11. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

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    Thanks for the help guys. Although I liked the sentense - the sauce resembling a red, black and
    white milk snake ( which is how I reworded it ) it was ditched in the final rewrite. Not enough
    room and it was frills anyway.
     
  12. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    It is fine. I'm just saying I was a dumbass and didn't read it right. I read sHake instead of sNake. I thought that was funny, because imagine the difference. I thought, how can it look like a milk shake?
     
  13. steve119

    steve119 New Member

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    It wouldn't be a milk shake you would want to drink that's for sure. I see what you mean it is easy to misread it and read sHake instead of sNake I think that's due to all the food in the sentence. It puts you in a culinary frame of mind lol
     
  14. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    How about this:

    Over the ravioli is a squiggle of sauce, which decorated it like a milk snake.

    And Cog - where did that excerpt come from? It's very good :D
     

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