Is ending a sentence with a preposition ever acceptable?
A longstanding grammar delusion says we’re not supposed to finish a sentence with a preposition. For years, this delusion has persevered, tying writers up in knots and making their heads spin round sentences that merely should finish with a preposition.
For instance: Which retailer are you going to?
Of us who had been taught (and are actually hooked up to the concept) that one ought to by no means finish a sentence with a preposition will argue that the right technique to write the sentence is as follows: To which retailer are you going?
However no person talks that means.
Grammar guidelines and myths
On the earth of writing, grammar myths abound, however the place do they arrive from? I believe they’re born not out of guidelines however out of guidelines of thumb. In lots of circumstances, it’s not a good suggestion to finish a sentence with a preposition. Permit me to reveal:
The place do you’re employed at?
The issue right here will not be a lot that the sentence ends with a preposition. It ends with a totally pointless phrase. Take away that final phrase and also you get a a lot clearer, extra concise, and proper sentence:
The place do you’re employed?
This begs the query: when is it acceptable to finish a sentence with a preposition? Actually, what’s a preposition?
What’s a preposition?
Prepositions are one of many conventional eight elements of speech within the English language. They normally point out a route or placement in house (in, on, towards) or carry out an analogous operate in a extra summary and fewer spatial means (of, for). They have a tendency to point a relationship or motion of some type:
The e book is in my hand.
Put the blanket over the mattress.
Let’s go to the corridor of mirrors.
I’ve one thing for you.
The pens are with the paper.
A few of the commonest prepositions are: on, in, to, by, for, with, at, of, from, as, below, over, about, above, beneath, behind, and between. There are loads extra, however you get the concept.
By the best way, you possibly can be taught much more than you ever wished to find out about prepositions on Wikipedia.
When is it okay to finish a sentence with a preposition?
For those who’ve structured your sentence as concisely as potential, eliminated any pointless phrases, and the one technique to chorus from ending it with a preposition is to make it sound prefer it arrived in a time machine from the eighteenth century, you then’re in all probability okay protecting the preposition on the finish:
Who’re you going with?
What are you ready for?
We’d like one thing to place it in.
As you possibly can see, these are all commonplace sentences. They adhere to the principles of grammar but all of them finish in prepositions. Simply strive rewriting them with out prepositions on the finish:
With whom are you going?
For what are you ready?
We’d like one thing during which to place it.
These are all technically right too, for those who don’t thoughts sounding such as you had been born 300 years in the past.
Attempt it for your self
Check out the next sentence:
There’s an thought I by no means considered.
There’s nothing technically fallacious with the sentence, however we may rewrite it so it doesn’t finish with a preposition:
I by no means considered that concept.
Which one sounds higher to you?
Grammar and customary sense
The difficulty with ending a sentence with a preposition is extra a matter of fashion or rhetoric than grammar. In order for you proof, take a look at this checklist of references on ending a sentence with a preposition.
So go forth and finish sentences with prepositions, however solely when it is smart to take action. Write your sentences to be clear and concise, and also you’ll be nice. Hold writing!
