muddled prepositons

[Charles C Doyle]

We have, on occasion, discussed the maladroit selection and redundancy of prepositions, a tendency that seems to have intensified in recent decades.  But I don't recall ever before having seen this particular construction (this from an out-of-class, "edited" essay by a very good student, a senior English major):

"Satan carries a spear in which 'He walked with to support uneasy steps.'"

Of course, students often fail to realize that the grammar within a quotation has to be integrated with the grammar of their own sentence.  Which doesn't explain the "in"!

--Charlie

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