Which is correct: She was the model of decorum, or She was the model for decorum? Sorry, it's my 1st post..
"model of decorum" is better - but still not my first choice. I think something like "she had a high sense of decorum" works better?
Mine as well. Though I might add a word: She was the very model of decorum. It changes it from what sounds like a statement of fact to metaphorical. The model for decorum almost sounds like there's a company called Decorum, and she works for them as a spokesmodel or something. And in a lesser sense so does The model of decorum. Not explicitly of course, it does work that way, and I'm sure everyone will understand it properly. Plus of course 'the very model' sounds old-fashioned (and invokes a certain Gilbert and Sullivan song about a Modern Major-General). It would only work if you sort of write that way to begin with. So yeah, my vote is for The model of decorum. It isn't really a vote, these things aren't determined by popularity. You could look it up and find the right wording (which is model of decorum). But of course words and phrases change their meaning over time, as does grammar and vocabulary. These days most self-pubbed writers seem to opt for that unstudied, illiterate feel, as if they never went to school at all, or failed out of English and Composition. It's up to you how close to conform to the 'proper' way of doing things. So in a sense I guess it is a vote.
Or was a life model for them. But that makes the story very different. True. Whether English is correct or not isn't decided by a vulgar system like democracy. Also true. For instance, the modern expression "rule the roost" (i.e. take charge of something) began in the 1500s as "rule the roast", bringing to mind an image of a chief cook supervising lesser cooks. "You'll do exactly what I tell you!" / "Yes, chef." Maybe they did flunk out of English, which is why they can't get an agent interested in them?
