Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Myth Busting: Ending Sentences With Prepositions

 
Okay, it's time to dispel a common grammar myth.  Despite what you may have heard, it is perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition (prepositions are words that indicate position, such as over, under, through, up, down, etc.).  When you go out of your way to avoid doing so, you end up with a sentence like this:
Image from grammarly.com


Sounds absurd, right?  What you should avoid doing, however, is using nonessential prepositions. 
 
Example: Where's the party at?
 
Adding at to the end of that sentence is unnecessary.  The question remains the same without it.
 
Improved example: Where's the party?
 
 
The problem is that many people believe it is a hard and fast rule that you should not end a sentence with a preposition.  For this reason, you must consider your audience when writing something that might be scrutinized by others.  If you are writing for someone who adheres to antiquated style suggestions, structure your sentence accordingly.  Instead of writing, "Who are you going to the party with?", write "With whom are you going to the party?"  Sure, it sounds bookish, but it will appease the person you are writing for.  Or should I say, "...the person for whom you are writing"?
 

Image from piccsy.com

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