Careful readers may note that I occasionally end my sentences with prepositions.
When my seventh grade English teacher demanded we “never end a sentence with a preposition,” I wanted to know why. His response was, “it’s sloppy.”
I never accepted his answer, because daily use of the English language provided empirical evidence to the contrary. I learned his rule, and chose to break it.
I broke the rule in college.
I broke the rule in grad school.
I break the rule on my blog.
I break the rule while writing for Fortune 500 companies.
Many pedantic pricks have pointed out my grievous use of prepositions. I’ve always asked them, “why am I incorrect?” No one has ever given me an answer other than, “it’s sloppy,” or “my seventh grade teacher said so.”
This evening I finally learned the answer.
This is a piece from the Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor YouTube Channel. It is one of my favorite YouTube channels, and one of the best examples of corporate web content.
The bottom-line? “Don’t end a sentence with a preposition” is a baseless rule that you don’t have to put up with.