Is It OK to End a Sentence with a Preposition?
Yes, ending a sentence with a preposition is perfectly acceptable in English. 'Where are you from?' and 'What is this about?' are natural, correct sentences. The 'rule' against terminal prepositions is a myth based on Latin grammar that does not apply to English. Rearranging to avoid final prepositions often sounds stilted and unnatural.
Key Takeaways
- Prepositions (of, to, from, with, about) frequently end English sentences, especially in questions and relative clauses.
- Unnecessary prepositions ('Where is it at?
- Very formal writing may avoid terminal prepositions as a stylistic choice.
Explanation
Prepositions (of, to, from, with, about) frequently end English sentences, especially in questions and relative clauses. 'Who should I give this to?' 'That is something I cannot agree with.' These constructions have been standard English for centuries and appear in the works of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and modern literary masters.
The 'rule' was invented in the 17th-18th centuries by grammarians who admired Latin and tried to make English conform to its patterns. In Latin, sentences cannot end with prepositions. But English has different grammatical structures, and forcing Latin rules onto English creates awkward constructions.
Winston Churchill allegedly responded to an editor who 'corrected' his preposition placement: 'This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.' Whether or not Churchill actually said this, it perfectly illustrates how unnatural avoided-preposition sentences can sound.
Every major modern style guide—The Chicago Manual of Style, AP Stylebook, Garner's Modern English Usage, and the Oxford English Grammar—agrees that ending sentences with prepositions is grammatically correct. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary's usage notes explicitly call the prohibition a superstition. Linguists classify it as a prescriptivist myth that has no basis in English syntax.
The reason English permits terminal prepositions is structural. English relies heavily on word order and prepositions for meaning, unlike Latin which uses noun endings (cases) to show grammatical relationships. When English absorbed Norman French vocabulary and simplified its case system after 1066, prepositions became essential grammatical tools that naturally appear throughout sentences, including at the end. Trying to avoid them often requires passive constructions or awkward phrasing that makes writing harder to read, not easier.
Things to Know
- Unnecessary prepositions ('Where is it at?') should still be avoided, but that is about redundancy, not position.
- Very formal writing may avoid terminal prepositions as a stylistic choice.
- Phrasal verbs (give up, look into, put up with) naturally end with preposition-like particles.
- In some sentences, moving the preposition actually changes the meaning: 'What did you step on?' versus 'On what did you step?' sound different in formality but also shift emphasis.