A couple of readers recently took issue with The Eagle ending sentences and headlines with prepositions.
While I have great affection for those who love grammar, I have to disagree with them on this rule, or, more precisely, myth.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this is the kind of “rule” up with which we should not put.
Like another grammatical misconception, never split an infinitive, we can blame this one on Latin — preposition comes from the Latin pre (in front of) + ponere (to put). One of the wonderful things about English is that it’s more flexible than Latin. This linguistic freedom allows us to move beyond restrictions dictated by 18th century grammarians and sound natural, not stuffy.
For example: Where are you from? sounds right; From where are you? sounds like the writer has a concussion, or is Yoda. She knows what she’s talking about. Good. She knows about what she is talking. Blurg.
This isn’t to say prepositions should always go at the end. That would be an equally troublesome proposition. Many times a preposition doesn’t present the stress that is necessary at the end of a sentence and times when formality is the goal.
In general, the best course is to sidestep awkward constructions and let euphony be the guide.
2 Comments
One of my favorite statements is to disorient a speaker by saying, “Don’t end your sentence in a preposition.” They forget what they were saying. Now Michael is saying it’s okay? Darn.
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