Ending a Sentence With a Preposition

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is whether it’s acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.

I know many of you were taught that you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but that’s a myth. In fact, I consider it one of the top ten grammar myths because so many people believe it’s true, but nearly all grammarians disagree, at least in some cases (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

So before I lose you, let's back up. What is a preposition?

What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that creates a relationship between other words. It's been said that prepositions often deal with space and time (1), which always makes me think of “Star Trek.”

For example, the prepositions “above,” “by,” and “over” all say something about a position in space:

• The picture is above the fireplace.”
• The nightstand is by the bed.

And the prepositions “before,” “after,” and “since” all say something about time:

• We went for a walk before dinner.
• We had dessert after dinner.

When Can a Sentence End with a Preposition?

So what about ending a sentence with a preposition?

Here’s an example of a sentence that can end with a preposition: 

• What did you step on?

An important point is that the sentence doesn't work if you leave off the preposition. You can't say, “What did you step?” You need to say, “What did you step on?” to make a grammatical sentence.

I can hear some of you gnashing your teeth right now while you think, “What about saying, 'On what did you step?'” But really, have you ever heard anyone talk that way? I've read long, contorted arguments from noted grammarians about why it's OK to end sentences with prepositions when the preposition isn't extraneous (1), but the driving point still seems to be, “Nobody...

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