Ending sentences with prepositions
Were you taught that a preposition should never be placed at the end of a sentence? There are times when it would be pretty much impossible to organize a sentence in a way that would avoid doing this, for example:
- in some passive expressions:
√ The dress had not even been paid for.
X Paid for the dress had not even been.
√ The match was rained off.
X Rained off was the match.
- in relative clauses and questions that include verbs with linked adverbs or prepositions:
√ What did you put that there for?
X For what [reason] did you put that there?
√ They must be convinced of the commitment they are taking on.
X Of the commitment they are taking on they must be convinced.
There’s no necessity to ban prepositions from the end of sentences. Ending a sentence with a preposition is a perfectly natural part of the structure of modern English.
You can read more about ending sentences with a preposition on the Oxford Dictionaries blog. Here you will find more information about prepositions and their relationship with other elements.
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