ENGLISH TIP OF THE DAY #34

It's a question that comes up frequently in our daily English lessons here in Zurich:

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

The answer is YES!

• In English, you can definitely end a sentence with a preposition.
• In fact, sometimes there is no other choice.
• Other times there is a choice, and ending a sentence with a preposition, or not, is a matter of style.
• This myth is the result of a rule from Latin grammar that was applied to English. While many aspects of Latin have made their way into the English language, this particular grammar rule is not suited for modern English usage.

Example sentences:

Please come in (part of a phrasal verb)

She walked out (part of a phrasal verb)

I woke up when my alarm went off (part of a phrasal verb)

Who did you go to the party with? (Rearranging the sentence to avoid ending with a preposition: "With whom did you go to the party?"—this is very formal, and would thus sound quite strange to most native speakers in general conversation).

She was someone who he could talk to (Rearranging the sentence to avoid the preposition: "She was someone to whom he could talk."—again, very formal).

What did you step on? (Rearranging the sentence to avoid the preposition: "On what did you step?"—again, very formal).

As you can see from the examples above, often it is more natural to end a sentence with a preposition. Ending a sentence with a preposition can be avoided, but you will sound very formal and, in general conversational English, you will not sound like 99% of native English speakers.

Caveat:

If however, you are writing a very formal piece, rearranging the sentence to avoid ending with a preposition may be desirable for three reasons:

1. It will add formality to the work, which may well be the desired outcome.
2. It demonstrates a deep knowledge of grammatical structure and can sound quite sophisticated in certain contexts.
3. Because "ending a sentence with a preposition" is a prevalent myth, there may be times when you should avoid doing it—even though it isn’t wrong! For example, when you’re writing a cover letter to a potential employer, try to avoid ending sentences with prepositions. The person reading the letter could see it as an error—because they believe the myth! Better to be hired than lose out on an opportunity because your grammar was correct—but perceived as wrong!

So....

Most of the time it is fine, even desirable, to end sentences with prepositions. Native speakers do this and it is grammatically correct.

If writing a very formal piece, then rearange your sentences to avoid ending sentences with a preposition. This adds formality, and avoids the risk that the person receiving your formal work perceives your syntax as incorrect—even though it's not!

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And that's it!

Any questions, leave them in the comments section, and I will reply.

Have a great day Zurich,

Cheers.

Progressive English specialises in in-company English courses in and around Zurich, Switzerland. See below for more details and pricing.

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Travis Simlinger is the founder of Progressive English in Zurich, Switzerland. Progressive English can help you improve your English skills today.