--- title: Participles for My Men, Prepositions for My Horses description: "Sometimes we have to distinguish: a country western song often gets written by, sung by, produced by & distributed by different people." image: https://www.wordrake.com/hubfs/Slide12-1.png --- #### WordRake is joining BriefCatch. Discover how BriefCatch Next builds on WordRake’s trusted editing technology — and what this means for WordRake customers. [Learn about the transition →](https://www.briefcatch.com/wordrake) [![logo](https://www.wordrake.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported%20images/logo.png?width=285&height=18&name=logo.png)](https://www.wordrake.com/) Edit for brevity & simplicity in Microsoft Word & Outlook - [Buy](https://www.wordrake.com/writing-improvement-software-buy) - [Software](https://www.wordrake.com/software) - [About](https://www.wordrake.com/editing-software-for-writing-professionals) - [Reviews](https://www.wordrake.com/reviews) - [Writing Tips](https://www.wordrake.com/writing-tips/writing-tips-listing-page) - [Resources](https://www.wordrake.com/resources) - [Support](https://www.wordrake.com/editing-software-help) # Writing Tips Our best writing tip? Edit for clarity and brevity with WordRake. It’s an automated in-line editor that checks for needless words, cumbersome phrases, clichés, and more. [![Download a 7-Day Free Trial](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3365575/03068b7d-1c87-45f8-9e1a-71ce6c0ece3c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3365575/03068b7d-1c87-45f8-9e1a-71ce6c0ece3c) ## Participles for My Men, Prepositions for My Horses # Participle vs. Preposition: Do I Need Both? At the state fair this summer, let’s suppose that Toby Keith and Willie Nelson sing a duo, “Beer for My Horses,” except Toby sweats, picks, winces, and whines with his lips on the microphone, while Willie signs autographs and Toby has to step around him. That wouldn’t be fair, would it? You and I could sign autographs. Yet every day, we stick little pairs of words in our writing that do just that: one sweats, picks, and does all the hard work, while the other often just gets in the way.   Here’s how we recognize those little word pairs: the first word is a past participle, that conjugation of a verb we use when we combine it with other verbs, like have: have *eaten*, have *gone*, have *walked*, have *talked*; the second is a preposition, the little word that opens a unit of information: Toby sings *to* the crowd *in* the stands *under* the stars. Willie signs autographs *for* the fans *on* the stage *during* the show. (We have 139 more to go, but I will spare you.) In these pairings, we often do not need the past participle because the preposition does the job for both: a book *authored by* Fitzgerald; the joy *found* *within* ourselves.   Sometimes we have to distinguish: a country western song often gets *written* by, *sung* by, *produced* by, *recorded* by, and *distributed* by different people. So if we write, “’Honkytonk Hairdo’ by Rubie Rhinestones,” we might need to distinguish which past participle reveals her contribution; if she only wrote it (not a mean feat), we need to include written. For this same reason, lawyers understand why we might write “the terms *stated* in the parties’ agreement” and leave it alone--we're distinguishing stated terms from implied terms.   But if we don’t need to distinguish, we don’t need that extra word:   the space provided below charges incurred for the beverage consumption a tax parcel situated on the east side   Located seems to pop up in these pairs more than any other past participle:   the properties located at 5590 and 5600 a campus located on a hillside all wetlands located throughout the delta   Removing one of these words might not greatly affect your reader’s response to your writing. But remember that every sentence we tighten, lighten, and brighten accumulates, builds, and contributes to a positive effect on our readers. Like the old slogan from the '60s anti-war protests--"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem"--words not conveying meaning get in the way of words trying to convey meaning. There's no middle ground.   P.S. At the push of a button, the WordRake software would have made five of those last six edits for you. [Pig Latin Pop Quiz](https://www.wordrake.com/writing-tips/pig-latin-pop-quiz) [Doing Good and Doing It Well](https://www.wordrake.com/writing-tips/doing-good-and-doing-it-well) - - - ### [Improve Your Writing with WordRake Try this revolutionary editing software free for 7 days. 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He’s also a *New York Times* bestselling author. As a writing expert and coach, Gary was inspired to create WordRake when he noticed a pattern in writing errors that he thought he could address with technology. In 2012, Gary and his team of engineers created WordRake editing software to help writers produce clear, concise, and effective prose. It saves time and gives confidence. Writing and editing has never been easier. WordRake takes you beyond the merely grammatical to the truly great—the quality editor you’ve always wanted. See for yourself. [![Download a 7-Day Free Trial](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3365575/03068b7d-1c87-45f8-9e1a-71ce6c0ece3c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3365575/03068b7d-1c87-45f8-9e1a-71ce6c0ece3c) ### How Does it Work? WordRake is editing software designed by writing expert and *New York Times* bestselling author Gary Kinder. 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