If you don’t like to end your sentences with prepositions,
you don’t have to
—just don’t say that it is a rule. And if you like to end your sentences with a succinct with, go right ahead and keep doing so—just don’t quote Winston Churchill when someone says that you shouldn’t.
Which should you avoid using at the end of sentences?
In emails, text messages, and notes to friends, it’s perfectly fine. But if you’re writing a research paper or submitting a business proposal and you want to sound very formal, avoid ending sentences
with prepositions
.
Why should you avoid ending sentences with prepositions?
So, to keep everyone happy, try to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition. Think of it as a game not a rule. Also, avoiding a preposition at the end of a sentence
often saves a word
, provides a sense of formality, and creates a better-flowing sentence.
How do you use a preposition at the end of a sentence?
It’s not an error to end a sentence with a preposition, but it is a little less formal. In emails, text messages, and notes to friends,
it’s perfectly fine
. But if you’re writing a research paper or submitting a business proposal and you want to sound very formal, avoid ending sentences with prepositions.
How do you avoid prepositions?
- Eliminate Prepositions by Using Active Voice. …
- Substitute an Adverb for a Prepositional Phrase. …
- Use a Genitive in Place of a Prepositional Phrase. …
- Omit Prepositions by Eliminating Nominalizations. …
- Delete Prepositional Phrases. …
- Keep learning!
Is it OK to end a sentence with a preposition?
The best-known rule about prepositions is
that you shouldn’t end a sentence with one
. And that rule is absolutely correct—if you’re speaking Latin. … The fact is that English presents many opportunities to compose sentences that would just sound awkward if we had to rewrite them to avoid leaving a preposition at the end.
Is it OK to end a sentence with TO?
Ending a sentence with a preposition such as “with,” “of,” and “to,” is
permissible
in the English language.
What at the end of a sentence?
You have three options for punctuating the end of a sentence:
a period
, an exclamation mark, or a question mark. Each one sets a different tone for the whole sentence: that of a statement, an outcry, or a question, respectively. A period marks the end of a declarative sentence: a statement of fact.
What are good closing sentences?
For each paragraph, the reader should be able to identify what your key points are, based on the concluding sentence. It should not include any information that was not discussed in the paragraph. Concluding sentences can start out with phrases such as ‘
In conclusion,’ ‘Thus,’ and ‘For this reason.
‘
Can you end a sentence with only?
Place “only” in front of the ending phrase in a sentence to modify the phrase. For example: “I like dancing only at a party”. In this example, “only” is modifying “at a party”. This indicates that the speaker likes to dance when s/he is at a party and that s/he does not dance at any other time or place.
What is an example of ending a sentence with a preposition?
“
Cheer up
,” “run over,” “log on,” and “leave off” are all examples of phrasal verbs, and often sentences that use phrasal verbs end with a preposition: I wish he would cheer up. You should leave it off.
What is a dangling preposition?
A dangling preposition (also called a hanging preposition or stranded preposition) refers
to a preposition whose object occurs earlier in the sentence, or else does not have an object in the sentence at all
. It is left “dangling,” “hanging,” or “stranded” because it does not form a complete prepositional phrase.
What is a preposition in grammar?
A preposition is
a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object
. Some examples of prepositions are words like “in,” “at,” “on,” “of,” and “to.” Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic.
Is it OK to start a sentence with a preposition?
It has been said that prepositions should never start or end a sentence. … The best way to start a sentence with a preposition is
in an introductory phrase
. When you do this, you should usually place a comma after the phrase.