Can you end sentences with prepositions

Not true. English speakers have been doing so since the days of Old English. American Heritage Dictionary also traces the superstition to misapplied rules of Latin and sets the record straight. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Mailbag: A troubling lack of Steel support for infrastructure bill. Apodaca: Gratitude for a group of people with an often thankless job.

Avon: Adams Media, , p. Stilman, A. Grammatically Correct. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, , p. Lutz, G. Grammar Desk Reference. Garner, B. Oxford University Press, , p. Wilson, K. New York: Columbia University Press, , p. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better. Jump to Navigation. Ending a Sentence With a Preposition. Examples of prepositions at work include:. These prepositions all fall within the sentence, not at the end. But sometimes, prepositions find themselves at the end of a sentence.

This is known as a dangling preposition or a hanging preposition. Here are some examples of sentences that end with prepositions. Strict grammarians may cringe at these sentences, but ending a preposition is a question of style, not proper grammar.

There are specific instances in which you can end a sentence with a preposition in modern writing, and other contexts in which you should avoid these dangling prepositions. Splitting relative clauses is one of the most common ways to end a sentence with a preposition. They begin with relative pronouns who, whom, that, which and can function as the subject or object of a sentence.

When you put the relative pronouns back, the preposition moves as well. These new sentences sound more formal, but still correct. Another common way to end a sentence with a preposition is to shorten an infinitive phrase. When infinitive phrases function as adverbs, they follow the noun that they modify.

Adding relative pronouns in these sentences technically works, but they sound more awkward. In addition to ending a sentence in a preposition, writing in passive voice is also a no-no to traditional grammarians. But if you need to write in passive voice , be sure that you actually need to end the sentence in a preposition. Many times, sentences end with a preposition because there are simply too many prepositions in it!

Unnatural What did he pay for? Examples: Please go in. Correct We walked out. Correct Step down. Examples: I woke up when my alarm went off. Correct Will you please shut up?