A Preposition is a Perfectly Good Word to End a Sentence With


by Sally Bacchetta - Date: 2006-12-30 - Word Count: 294 Share This!

The rule against ending a sentence with a preposition is one of the first academic restrictions I chafed at. Some sentences just sound better with a preposition in the terminal position. Compare the verbal flourish of "And now... the announcement you've all been waiting for!" with the rule-abiding dullard "And now... the announcement for which you've all been waiting!"

Prepositions are words like as, at, before, by, down, for, from, in, of, off, through, to, up and with that do the important work of linking an object to another word in the sentence to show the relationship between them. For years, grammarians have been at odds with the rest of us about prepositional placement.

They say it's not proper to place a preposition at the end of a sentence, but who are they to tell us what we may and may not end our sentences with? For example, Garbanzos are the beans that hummus is made from. The preposition from establishes the relationship between garbanzo beans and hummus, and it sounds more natural placed at the end of the sentence than in its technically correct position, Garbanzos are the beans from which hummus is made.

I'm positively giddy about the prepositional freedom granted in the fifteenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style: "A sentence that ends in a preposition may sound more natural than a sentence carefully constructed to avoid a final preposition." and "The 'rule' prohibiting terminal prepositions was an ill-founded superstition."

I saw the bucket of peanut butter the elephant sat in.
This is the wall the famished octopus slid down.
A slick of honey and bubble gum is the best thing to catch a toddler with.
Is that the hill your spaceship landed on?

This is the stuff creative dreams are made of. Have fun.


Related Tags: writing, business, training, communication, sales, toddler, grammar, writer, freelance, academic, preposition

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including selling skills, motivation, pharmaceutical sales, parenting and RFID.

You can contact her at info@sallybacchetta.com and read her latest Onwords column on her website.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category:


  • Don't Put Off Writing that Book! by Linden Gross
    If writing that book you've always had in mind tops your list of resolutions or regrets, hiring a wr
  • How To Write A Better Press Release by Brian Konradt
    A press release is the most effective way to generate free publicity for your business or organizati
  • Writing on the Hoof by Rick Chapo
    Finding inspiration when you are writing is often a haphazard affair. When you are physically ready
  • Focus On Nigeria by Andrew Sandon
    Focus on Nigeria Nigеria is a natural gas and oil rich country that is bordеrеd b
  • How to Write Great Dialogue in Your Book by Steve Manning
    Dialogue isn't so much read as it is heard by the reader. The eyes see the words on the page, the b
  • Women SUV Driver from www.thefrap.com by Eric Schmidt
    Why do so many women drive around in the oversized SUV's, the Tahoe, Excursion, Escalade
  • How To Write Good Articles by Jonathan White
    As a writer you may be ready to cash in on the need for web content. There is a lot of money that c
  • NEWS FLASH: Technical Communicator Saves World by Peggy Bennett
    I had a boss several years ago who was amused by my earnest and relentless preaching about the impor
  • Writers Resources by Josh Riverside
    Writers use certain inherent talents to come up with their pieces of writing. However, they do need
  • Popular Articles by Roel Sundiam
    Articles are those that are available in plenty these days in the internet. The articles are written