“Never end a sentence with a preposition.”
—Did YOUR middle-school teacher try to sell you that “rule,” too?
And did she also teach you, “It’s wrong grammatically” to use a preposition that way?
Well, she sold you 2 heaps of crap.
⬇️
Here’s evidence, with some important caveats to think about & references for further reading.
1️⃣ BRYAN A. GARNER
“The spurious rule about not ending sentences with prepositions is a remnant of Latin grammar, in which a preposition was the one word that a writer could not end a sentence with. . . .
But if the SUPERSTITION is a ‘rule’ at all, it is not a rule of rhetoric and not of grammar, the idea being to end sentences with strong words that drive a point home. . . .
Good writers don’t hesitate to end their sentences with prepositions if doing so results in phrasing that seems natural.”
—Garner’s Modern Legal English Usage, 4th ed. (2016), 723-24.
2️⃣ WAYNE SCHEISS
“Some professors and lawyers enforce a rule against ending a sentence, or even a clause, with a preposition. . . .
There is no such rule.”
👉 BUT . . .
“Ending a sentence with a preposition might be considered informal, so if you’re writing for a professor or lawyer who follows the rule, you might have to follow it, too.”
—Fine Points for Legal Writing (2019), 32-33:
3️⃣ GRAMMAR GIRL
“Yes, you can end a sentence with a preposition.”
“Nearly all grammarians” DENOUNCE any strict rule against sentence-ending prepositions, and any such rule is “a myth.” (citing sources)
👉 BUT . . .
“[T]he myth is so prevalent, there are times when you should avoid doing it even though I’m saying it isn’t wrong.
For example, when you’re writing a cover letter to a potential employer, don’t end a sentence with a preposition.”
—Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips, “Ending a Sentence with a Preposition,” Dec. 3, 2020.
* * * * * * *
As for me, I am always trying to become a better, more informed writer.
But old habits die hard.
And so, I’ve been trying diligently for a while now to unlearn what I’d long been taught.
—Taking 6 years of Latin, working long-term with a client who enforced the no-preposition-ending “rule,” and other influences did not serve me well that way.
I still find myself regularly rearranging sentences to avoid sentence-ending prepositions—w/o awkward wording.
👉 At the end of the day, I find most (but not all) sentences will read better once refigured to avoid the preposition-ending dilemma.
—That’s a style preference, though, not a grammar rule.
Fondly,
💌 Amanda
🗳️ What’s your practice on prepositions?
#DearLegalWriter