Destroy "of"

[Jonathan Meer]

I've been plotting an of-destruction for quite some time.

What is an of-destruction? It's when you forego the hideous preposition in order to create a new, hyphenated noun.

Reasons:

1) It's extraneous, and may drag baggage into a phrase with it (like articles, or possessive pronouns).
2) It lends itself to boring, stringy speech that lacks punch.
3) It looks weird.

It isn't possible for this extermination to be complete, as "of" has firmly rooted itself in our speech. Some sentences simply cannot be said without it. Nevertheless, our call as free people, who should always support peace and unity, is to remove such a middle-man from our nouns, and place them together, bound by that glorious and affable punctuation mark: the hyphen.

[Ashe]

I was hoping you would slip up and use the word somewhere in there. You didn't.

[Jonathan Meer]

I used CTRL+F.

[Kazuya]

screw hyphens.

[Super Buu]

Hyphens are good, but so is the variation of sentence structure. If I had said 'sentence structure-variation' in the last sentence, then this one would look less interesting coming immediately after it.

[Jonathan Meer]

screw hyphens.

Yes, do, and make more.

[Misa Fujiroka]

I already tend to abuse double hyphens as a lazy em dash. Don't encourage my bad behavior any further.

[Jonathan Meer]

Hyphens are good, but so is the variation of sentence structure. If I had said 'sentence structure-variation' in the last sentence, then this one would look less interesting coming immediately after it.

'Of' is a crutch.

[Misa Fujiroka]

'Of' is a crutch.

My hyphens are a crutch--and my semi-colons.


Dear God, I just did it.

[Super Buu]

I gotta agree with Misa here. Hyphens are definitely my biggest crutch, coming right before semicolons.

[Jonathan Meer]

I think mine is the sentence structure: "Yet, while <blah blah blah>, it must be remembered that <blah blah blah>." This doesn't come out much except in papers.

[Juno]

You still haven't used the word. This is the creepiest thing of them all.

[Sage]

Prepositions are only bad if you use too many. But I see you're intent on showing off basic academic writing, so I guess I won't stop you.

It's ridiculous to try and abolish "of," it has it's uses. I'm trying to reduce my preposition use, since sentences certainly flow better without them, but I think removing them entirely is... well... stupid. Difference of opinion, perhaps?

[Ashe]

Well, the point behind its existence is to allow further description. Its not supposed to just be filler. I use it quite frequently, and try to reduce my prepositions as much as possible (that in itself being a phrase, "as much as possible"), but without them, a sentence is quite bland.

You obviously know this, I assume.

Take for example the following quote: "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most". Without the first phrase, we have "I miss my mind the most." This requires further description when addressing the reader out of context. I would have preferred not to finish that sentence as "addressing the reader" as I'm trying to convey a sense of situational use. Likewise, I would not use the title "Call." If I were to name something, I would include a variety of phrases ("of phrases" again being used to describe the form of variety), such as "Call of Duty", "Medal of Honor", "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman".

Long story short, while prepositions and even other phrases are abused in general, they have their places as descriptive uses.

[Super Buu]

Rei put it best. The lesson is just to be aware of what you're doing and why you're doing it. And not to do the same thing too much otherwise it gets boring and predictable. If you can do those two things, 'of' ain't a problem.

[Vad]

I find if I think about it I'll fuck up. If I just forget and work on the ideas I'm trying relay. It all works out.

[Super Buu]

That's why a lot of people use drafts. First time round you stay immersed and in the 'zone'. That way you can get your post done without constantly stopping to second-guess yourself. Then afterwards you look over it with a critical, detached eye. Best of both worlds, in my opinion.

[Vad]

That's why a lot of people use drafts. First time round you stay immersed and in the 'zone'. That way you can get your post done without constantly stopping to second-guess yourself. Then afterwards you look over it with a critical, detached eye. Best of both worlds, in my opinion.

Exactly.

[Jonathan Meer]

You all are taking this way too seriously. I love it.

This isn't an attack against all prepositions. Just "of".

[Kaden]

No dude.

You need to be set straight.