Today’s Mother Goose and Grimm:
Not ending a sentence with a preposition is one of those grammar myths debunked by virtually every usage authority. Here it surfaces in the supremely silly version that you should never end a sentence with “a preposition”. Note that the proscription violates itself.
As usual, MWDEU is the place to start, in its article on preposition at end, with a history of the “rule” that Fowler in 1926 called “a cherished superstition”. A tiny sampling of other writers from more recent times:
Oxford Dictionaries Words Blog: Grammar myths #1: is it wrong to end a sentence with a preposition? Stranded prepositions are nothing to fret about (link)
Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips: Ending a Sentence With a Preposition. I know many of you were taught that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but it’s a myth. In fact, I consider it one of the top ten grammar myths because many people believe it’s true, but nearly all grammarians disagree (link)
Daily Writing Tips by Mark Nichol: 7 Grammatical Errors That Aren’t: 2. Never end a sentence with a preposition. (link)
Stan Carey’s Sentence First blog: One of daftest and dustiest old grammar myths is the unfounded rule against ending a sentence with a preposition. (link)
September 13, 2014 at 5:23 am |
What’s that sentence that ends with five prepositions in a row? A child asks a parent not to bring that book about Australia upstairs. “Don’t bring that book I don’t want to be read to about Down Under up.”
September 13, 2014 at 5:39 am |
Discussed in Stan Carey’s posting. It’s a cheat, but nevertheless amusing.
September 13, 2014 at 4:54 pm |
I’ll bet the teacher said it without splitting that infinitive.