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7.4.4 Phrases beginning with with

Sometimes writers stretch the idea of "with" too far. In fact, the word may have become an all-purpose subordinator, the word with which to make a relationship of any vague sort any time at all. Use "with" most precisely to mean "accompanied by," to introduce an agent of an effect, to mean "at the time of," or to signify association.

I came to the dinner with Carol. [accompanied by]

He hit the nail with a hammer. [agent of an effect]

With the arrival of spring, he was happier. [time]

He was no longer living with his parents. [association]

This sentence seems to fit none of the categories above: "Operations are centered in Taft, RI, with a satellite office in Deerfield, MA." Such a sentence should be restated, perhaps as follows: "Operations are centered in Taft, RI, though the company has a satellite office in Deerfield, MA."

Sometimes the problem may be that the "with" modifier is misplaced, as follows: "Balance sheet is very strong with 2.3:1 current ratio and .74:1 debt-to-worth ratio." That might be more clearly stated this way: "The balance sheet, with a 2.3:1 current ratio and .74:1 debt-to-worth ratio, is very strong."

According to Modern American Usage, edited by Jacques Barzun,

. . . lucidity is lost when with is employed, thoughtlessly, to bring attendant circumstances into a sentence without analyzing or making clear their relation to the central fact. . . The writer addicted to the facile but evasive with is shirking the rigors of thought about what he means and how to say it, but he cannot be let off. The burden of communication is on him, not on the reader.

Courtesy of John Mercer Associates, www.MercerWriting.com

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