To review: English does not have an official governing body that dictates what is right or wrong. Instead, it is based on a set of standards and accepted truths as far as what is the “best way” to properly communicate. Given that fact, there are many different avenues to take when it comes to expressing yourself in English and just about as many disagreements as far as what is “proper English communication”.
One of the most devilish issues is whether or not it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition, i.e. “He does not know what he is talking about.”
Where does the idea that this usage is incorrect come from (whoops, “Whence comes the idea…”)? Latin, of course. And a bit of German as well. There is no basis for it in objective English usage. The idea that a preposition should not be the final word of a sentence originated simply because it is true in the other languages that are related to English. Yet English is English and Latin is Latin, etc. So why has this meme stuck with us for so many centuries? Who knows. But I contend it is not valid, since employing it is often the most concise and correct way to express certain ideas.
For supporting evidence, I will rely on the famous quip that is often attributed to Winston Churchill, but applies to the case regardless of the original speaker:
That is a rule up with which I will not put.
Case closed.
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Tags: English, grammar, prepositions, regulating bodies, sentences
I think this should be construed not as an outright prohibition, but as a warning not to rely too systematically on sentences ending in prepositions, or indeed on over-repetitive recourse to any construction. A 1968 edition of Fowler’s “Modern English Usage” endorses what the earlier contributor says, adducing in the article entitled “preposition at end” a sentence pair:-
- natural order: “That depends on what they are cut with”;
- mangled as follows, according to the rule rule under discussion: “That depends on with what they are cut”.
Fowler goes on to say that [the enforcers of this rule] “are unconsciously trying to deprive the English language of a valuable idiomatic resource”. The strength of English is its flexibility, further exemplified by the omission of the relative pronoun, cited by this grammarian in the same article. It’s a matter of balance and feel.
Adam -
That was basically what I was looking to say. Thanks for communicating it so well. I often think back on what I was taught when I was young and how so much of it does not apply to practical applications of the language for clear and concise communication. I’ve already tackled split infinitives, and at some point I have to deal with the underused resource of semi-colons.