(no subject)

[derien]

"Food is the cornerstone upon which his career is based upon."

Okay, I know they didn't need two 'upons' in that sentence. I would prefer to see Food is the cornerstone upon which his career is based, but I can't think of why it shouldn't be Food is the cornerstone which his career is based upon. Can anyone tell me if it's just a matter of what you like the sound of, or is it really incorrect to finish up a sentence with 'upon'?

Comments

[cyberquail.livejournal.com]

Your English teacher's quote is based on a great old crabbyism of Winston Churchill. Supposedly, an editor of Sir Ernest Gowers’ Plain Words had clumsily rearranged one of Churchill’s sentences to avoid ending it in a preposition, and the Prime Minister, very proud of his style, scribbled this note in reply: “This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.”

I think of that every time I see a sentence ending in a preposition (but I still do it sometimes anyway!)