Is "with" necessary in the following sentence?
"With the way things are shaping up in the Playoffs, the Spurs might be second best in the West again."
I think the sentence is fine without "with."
Thanks.
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Good morning, Jasmin.
(1) Your challenging question again sent me to my books and to getting input from three knowledgeable correspondents.
(2) This is what I learned:
(a) You are correct: You do not need an introductory word.
(b) If, however, you wish to introduce your sentence:
(i) Two correspondents say that the correct word is "Because of" -- not "with."
(ii) The other correspondent said that "with" is fine and that he would use it to introduce such a sentence.
(c) One of my books reminded us that the "complete" version of "the way things are shaping up" is: the way THAT ( = in which) things are shaping up.
(d) All three correspondents are in agreement that "(Because of) the way (that) things are shaping up in the Playoffs" is a sentence adverb or disjunct. There is no grammatical connection to your main sentence.
I learned a lot. Have a nice day!
