I thought prepositions always have a noun after itself. But these two doesn't.
To begin/start with,......
let's just get this over with.
why nothing is after the preposition?
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2You thought wrong. Winston Churchill is (falsely, I'm sure) reputed to have poked fun at your misconception with Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put. Which sounds ridiculous to any native speaker (and thereby proves that the "rule" is stupid).– FumbleFingersCommented Jun 23, 2016 at 11:48
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I'm sorry but can you explain what Churchill said more explicitly?– JBLCommented Jun 23, 2016 at 11:59
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3@FumbleFingers I think this is a different matter: OP wants to know the object of with in these two expressions, which is actually a pretty interesting question.– StoneyB on hiatusCommented Jun 23, 2016 at 12:14
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1 Answer
To begin/start with, when not followed by a noun, are parenthetical expressions that mean in the first place or initially.
used to emphasize the first or most significant of a list of reasons, opinions, etc. (OED)
To get something over with is a phrasal verb (Cambridge). The 'with' can be analyzed as a particle, not a preposition.
The particles in phrasal verbs do not have to be followed by a noun:
How soon are you going to get up?
When did you last throw up?
He said he needed to get out.
answered Jun 23, 2016 at 12:26
