Why can't you end a sentence with a preposition?

Answer 1

You most certainly may end a sentence with a preposition - in many cases.

There is a class of verbs in english called 'phrasal verbs'. With these verbs, prepositions are integral parts of the verb phrase and the preposition may easily, naturally, and correctly fall at the end of a sentence. For example:

He woke up. Where else could you possibly put 'up'?

He up woke. - no way.
Up woke he. - even worse
Up he woke. - not really
Woke he up. - nope
Woke up he. - not this either

There are hundreds of verbs like this - beg off, blow up, calm down, drop by, fill in, give up, fall down - and on and on.

The idea that you could not end a sentence with a preposition somehow crept into the educational system and has been taught as 'correct' grammar for years - but it is not.

ADDED:

ETSU: BA also.

Answer 2

It all goes back to the nature of the "perfect language" of Latin. When the English Grammarian of the 17th century were making the rules, Latin was their "gold standard". It is physically impossible to end a Latin sentence in a preposition because the form of the word represents both the preposition an its object. The grammarians adopted the same rule for English. So generations of English speakers have been speaking incorrectly ever since.

Unfortunately, idiomatically speaking, if you follow the rule of grammar, the sentences end up unwieldingly artificial sounding and weird to the ordinary man.

I am an English Major and this is one rule of grammar that I do not care to strictly enforce for rational communication.

Answer 3

A preposition has to have an object, it has to refer to something. If you end a sentence with a preposition it is virtually impossible to have an object and it is impossible to make the preposition properly refer to that object.

Example:

That is where I am going to.

The preposition "to" does not have an object in this sentence. In this sentence, as in most sentences ending in prepositions, the word it redundant.


That is where I am going to.
That is where I am going.

These two sentences mean the same thing, so why not get rid of that unnecessary word?

Alternately, you could inject an object into the sentence.

That is the place to which I am going.

In this case "which" is the object of the preposition. That sentence means the same thing and is every bit as correct as "That is where I am going" but is much less complicated.



Someone observed that phrasal verbs often end in prepositions. That's true, but terribly misleading. Phrasal verbs are not formal, they are part of the vernacular speech pattern in the English language. The argument for phrasal verbs is essentially that their popularity make them correct. I disagree.

Answer 4

The grammar gods said so has always been my response. The rules for our language are based on the rules for latin in which the rule probably came from. However, there are some sentences that do not make sense if the preposition comes in other position in the sentence.

Answer 5

To illustrate the point that Ariel made, several answers above, about the awkwardness of strict adherence to this classic rule, consider what Winston Churchill is said to have written on the subject:

"Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put!"

Answer 6

Charles is accurate.

a preposition MUST have an object. eg, to the beach, of course, into the boat, before morning.

so when you end a sentence with a preposition, it isn't complete since the preposition has no object.

Answer 7

The short answer is that you can.

That rule was coughing up blood as early as 1926, and died long ago, though it remains a common superstition. When attached to a verb they're actually acting as adverbial particles, not prepositions, so the alleged rule is fairly moot to begin with. ("...begin with," heh... :)

Answer 8

If you believe that grammar is prescriptive rather than descriptive, then you're not supposed to.

Personally, I believe language is an evolving living thing and some of those conventions are less important nowadays- particularly in spoken language. When was the last time you asked a friend: 'With whom did you go to the movies?' I'll bet you said, 'Who did you go to the movies with?' ?

Especially if you are learning ESL/EFL then you'll come across a few of these 'rules'. They exist in every language....

Answer 9

Because it is the RULES of the English language, Brother. Just learn it and use it like we all had to do. Good Luck!

Answer 10

a preposition has to have an object