QT 18 – Video Transcript and Bonus Info
Today’s QuickTake begins with a true story.
A few days before Christmas, I found myself standing in a long line at the post office, waiting to mail my packages. After several minutes, the man in front of me turned to the woman in front of him and said loudly, “Someone needs to teach these people grammar!”
The woman followed his gaze to a sign on the counter. “Please turn your cell phones off,” she read. “Ohh, I see. It needs a comma after ‘Please.’”
“No!” the man shot back. “The sentence ends in a preposition. It should read, ‘Please turn off your cell phone.’”
Now before I tell you the end of the story, which sentence do you think is correct?
- Please turn your cell phone off.
- Please turn off your cell phone.
The answer is both!
What the man in the post office objected to was the word “off” at the end of the sentence, violating the rule, “Never end a sentence with a preposition.”
But—spoiler alert—there is no such rule!
Prepositions are words like on, at, of, into, from, with, to, about, for, up, and in—small joining words that show a relation in time or space between one object and another. In Latin grammar, writers could not end a sentence with a preposition, but “Latin grammar should never straitjacket English grammar” (Garner, MAU).
In English, we can and do end sentences with prepositions, for example,
You’re someone I can count on.
That’s something we should look into.
What is this made of?
What we want to avoid is awkward, stilted, or unnecessary prepositions at the end of a sentence.
Not “It is difficult to know about what you are thinking.” but “It is difficult to know what you are thinking about.”
Not “Where is she at?” but “Where is she?”
And some words that look like prepositions aren’t prepositions at all, but instead are adverbs, called particles. That’s where the Hokey Pokey comes in—but uh oh, looks like we’re out of time. Check back next time for Part 2 to learn more…and to hear the end of the story!
The rest of the story:
While grammar does not forbid prepositions at the end of sentences, good style might. The place of greatest emphasis in a sentence is the end, the last word packing a punch. Good writers don’t waste that position on weak words. Eliminate prepositions that add nothing to meaning:
- She could not help [from] smiling.
- The table is too near [to] the door.
- Let’s meet at [about] one o’clock.
- His house is opposite [to] theirs.
On the other hand, be sure to include necessary prepositions:
- A couple of books are missing. NOT A couple books are missing.
- They don’t stock that type of toaster. NOT They don’t stock that type toaster.
- What time does the bus depart from South Station? NOT What time does the bus depart South Station?
Also be sure to attach the correct prepositions in compound items:
- She has a great interest in, as well as deep respect for, rare coins.
Writers often omit the first preposition, creating grammatically incorrect sentences. Be sure to read each element separately to ensure the right preposition.
Check out a current reference book for more about prepositions, such as the Gregg Reference Manual or Chicago Manual of Style.