Seriously, what is going on with our language? It seems like many English speakers (who should know better) have no concept of what preposition to use in any given situation.

Here are a couple examples I dealt with just this morning (and the day is young).

A puzzle website offered an easy crossword “that’s not too difficult – just right for solving in your coffee break.”

Folks, you don’t get to simply toss in any preposition. One should make some attempt to discriminate among them. Here, I’m thinking “during” not “in.”

Then, in our local Sunday paper, along with a story on a production of the Easter story, came this caption under a photograph:

“(An actor), who plays Jesus, must carry the cross to the site of his crucifixion.  Jesus will have fallen three times by the weight of the cross.”

What the hell?  In the second sentence, the word “by” is clearly not the right choice. In this context, “by” can only mean “near.”  Things you might fall “by” are a wall, the pool, or the wayside.  Doesn’t the writer mean “due to”? Or “under.”  Shouldn’t he have written, “The weight of the cross causes Jesus to fall three times”?

I guess I’m old school. I still think that newspapers should set the standard for proper usage – not laziness.