0

The sentence: “The midwife took 40 roubles for two months' board and attendance, 25 went to get the baby into the foundlings' hospital, and 40 the midwife borrowed to buy a cow with”

What sense does the word “with”(the last word in the sentence) have?

Ilya Zinoviev
  • 13
  • One of those cases where the preposition has simply been pushed to the end of the sentence. – user405662 Mar 18 '21 at 06:44
  • The preposition is showing (monetary) agency. I knocked the nail in with a hammer. This is the hammer with which I knocked the nail in. = This is the hammer I knocked the nail in with. // The midwife borrowed 40 roubles with which to buy a cow. = The midwife borrowed 40 roubles to buy a cow with. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 17 '21 at 11:43

1 Answers1

0

Try imagining it as "The borrowed money with which the midwife bought the cow: 40 roubles"

Neeraj Krishnan K
  • 5