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Ending a Sentence with a Preposition Lyrics by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

2011

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Emily Brewster, an Associate Editor at Merriam-Webster.
To some of you, what I'm about to say will be a huge relief, and to others—a complete abomination. Here it goes: "A preposition is a perfectly appropriate kind of word to end a sentence with." So where did the rule telling us it's not okay to end a sentence with a preposition come from?
Well, it seems that the 17th-century English poet, playwright and essayist John Dryden is to blame. In a 1672 essay, Dryden castigated the writers of the generation preceding him, a generation that included Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, for a variety of things—among them ending sentences with prepositions.
Dryden most likely objected to the terminal preposition because Latin doesn't allow the construction, and it was fashionable at the time to assert that English should be more like Latin. Whatever the rationale behind it, Dryden's objection got passed down as grammar law and written into the books used to teach grammar in schools.
"But really,"—you might ask—"wasn't Dryden on to something? Don't sentences ending in prepositions sound sloppier than those that don't?" Well, maybe in some cases, although that may be because we've been conditioned to think so. The fact is, we've been using the terminal preposition since the days of Old English. And in some instances, avoiding the terminal preposition makes things plain weird. Do we really want to change a sentence like "Give them what they asked for" to "Give them the thing for which they asked"?
So I say, when it feels natural to end a sentence in a preposition, do so. And if someone gives you a hard time about it, feel free to respond to the criticism as Winston Churchill according to unconfirmed legend did, his tongue firmly in cheek: "This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put."
Tune in again soon for future installments of Ask the Editor here at merriam-webster.com.
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Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster

About “Ending a Sentence with a Preposition” by Merriam-Webster

Read the complete lyrics to "Ending a Sentence with a Preposition" by Merriam-Webster from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Ending a Sentence with a Preposition" is performed by Merriam-Webster. from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Ending a Sentence with a Preposition", explore more songs by Merriam-Webster using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"Ending a Sentence with a Preposition" appears on "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011.

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