Ending a Sentence with a Preposition? No Problem
By Maxwell Moiseff
By Maxwell Moiseff
If you’ve ever dared to end a sentence with a preposition, you’ve probably had the misfortune of being reprimanded about it. Perhaps a misinformed teacher rushed to correct you or a militant grammarian dove in to tell you that by ending a sentence with a preposition, you had broken a sacred, inviolable law of English composition. This is wrong, completely and utterly wrong.
The made-up rule that prepositions cannot end sentences originated with 17th century grammarians John Dryden and Joshua Poole, Latin-obsessed writers from the age of “thees” and “thous” who wanted to align the English language with the Latin language they so dearly adored. It is absurd that some writers still cling to this particular rule, despite gladly — and rightly — ditching the other outdated grammatical conventions of bygone eras.
Ending a sentence with a preposition is nothing to be afraid of. Consider, for example, the preceding sentence — “of” is a preposition. Despite ending with a preposition, this sentence feels natural and idiomatic. The alternative phrasing (“nothing of which to be afraid”) is incredibly awkward and may have to be read multiple times to be understood. Rearranging this sentence out of a misguided effort to banish prepositions from the end of all sentences will utterly ruin its natural flow.
Some argue that it is too informal and unmannerly to end a sentence with a preposition, but this line of reasoning has no basis in fact. Consider what the following passage from Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” has to say on the issue. This style guide has served as a well-established set of guidelines for decades, on account of its clear and cogent advice. It reads, “Years ago, students were warned not to end a sentence with a preposition; time has, of course, softened that rigid decree. Not only is the preposition acceptable at the end, sometimes it is more effective in that spot than anywhere else. ‘A claw hammer, not an ax, was the tool he murdered her with.’ This is preferable to ‘A claw hammer, not an ax, was the tool with which he murdered her.’ Why? Because it sounds more violent, more like murder. A matter of ear.”
As argued in Strunk and White’s guide, there is no universal rule, because every sentence is different and every sentence must be written according to what is clearest and what sounds best.
No other conclusion can be drawn — a preposition is a perfectly fine thing to end a sentence with.
The made-up rule that prepositions cannot end sentences originated with 17th century grammarians John Dryden and Joshua Poole, Latin-obsessed writers from the age of “thees” and “thous” who wanted to align the English language with the Latin language they so dearly adored. It is absurd that some writers still cling to this particular rule, despite gladly — and rightly — ditching the other outdated grammatical conventions of bygone eras.
Ending a sentence with a preposition is nothing to be afraid of. Consider, for example, the preceding sentence — “of” is a preposition. Despite ending with a preposition, this sentence feels natural and idiomatic. The alternative phrasing (“nothing of which to be afraid”) is incredibly awkward and may have to be read multiple times to be understood. Rearranging this sentence out of a misguided effort to banish prepositions from the end of all sentences will utterly ruin its natural flow.
Some argue that it is too informal and unmannerly to end a sentence with a preposition, but this line of reasoning has no basis in fact. Consider what the following passage from Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” has to say on the issue. This style guide has served as a well-established set of guidelines for decades, on account of its clear and cogent advice. It reads, “Years ago, students were warned not to end a sentence with a preposition; time has, of course, softened that rigid decree. Not only is the preposition acceptable at the end, sometimes it is more effective in that spot than anywhere else. ‘A claw hammer, not an ax, was the tool he murdered her with.’ This is preferable to ‘A claw hammer, not an ax, was the tool with which he murdered her.’ Why? Because it sounds more violent, more like murder. A matter of ear.”
As argued in Strunk and White’s guide, there is no universal rule, because every sentence is different and every sentence must be written according to what is clearest and what sounds best.
No other conclusion can be drawn — a preposition is a perfectly fine thing to end a sentence with.