Writing Tip

Terminal Prepositions

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Recommendation: Don't End a Sentence with a Preposition (When It Matters)

The rule against ending a sentence with a preposition is marginally bogus. Sometimes what appears to be a preposition is really a particle of a verb, so the rule does not apply. Still, a learned reader may react negatively when you appear to violate this rule. So, context is everything. A rather elastic rule is the best way to handle this ancient conflict between the pretentiousness of following the terminal-preposition rule and the informality of pooh-poohing it:

Know your audience, and know the level of formality expected, and when a “terminal preposition” occurs during the composition of a document, leave it or repair it accordingly.