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Following my lament (Diary, Thursday) about interviewees starting all their sentences with âSoâ, a number of readers have made heartfelt pleas that I should campaign against another linguistic scourge of our times, âIn terms ofâ. Alas, I fear that may be even more futile. I agree with the great lexicographer HW Fowler that compound prepositions in general are bad news. He thought them âalmost the worst element in modern English, stuffing up what is written with a compost of nouny abstractionsâ. Unable to think of anything as good as that to call them, I just cross the street if I see one coming. As often as not, however, thereâll be one on that side too. ....